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http://www.archive.org/details/centenarymemoriaOOpresiala 


j](ED[Kis^  m^o  miwLiL^mnm. 


CENTENARY   MEMORIAL 


OF  THE 


PLANTING  AND  GROWTH 


OF 


FRESB  YTERIANISM 


IN 


WESTERN  PENNSYLVANIA  AND  PARTS  ADJACENT. 


CONTAINING   THE   HISTORICAL   DISCOURSES   DELIVERED   AT  A  CONVEN- 
TION  OF  THE  SYNODS   OF   PITTSBURGH,  ERIE,  CLEVELAND, 
AND    COLUMBUS,    HELD   IN   PITTSBURGH, 
DECEMBER    7-9,   1 8 75. 


WITH  APPENDICES  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PITTSBURGH: 

PRINTED   FOR   THE   PUBLISHING  COMMITTEE, 

By   benjamin   SINGERLY,    74  THIRD  AVENUE; 

AND  POK  SALE  BY 

W.  W.  WATERS,  Presbyterian  Book  Store. 
1876. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  rear  1876,  by 

AAKON  WILLIAMS,  FOR  THE  PUBLISHING-  COMMITTEE, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


NOTE. 
The  profits  from  this  work  are   to  be  appropriated  toward  the  endow- 
ment of  the  "  Elliott  Lectureship "  in  the   Western  Theological  Seminary 
at  Allegheny,  Pa. 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction. 
By  the  Chairman  of  the  PubHshing  Committee. 


Life  and  Labors  of  the  Rev.  John  McMillan,  D.D.  : 

The  Gospel  he  Preached,  and  its  Influence  on  the  Civilization  of 

Western  Pennsylvania. 

By  David  X.  Junklv,  D.D. 


The  Religious  History  : 

Early  Revivals ;  The  "  Falling  Work ;  "  Lay-Helpers;  etc. 

By  Aaron  Williams,  D.D. 


The  Educational  History  : 
Colleges,  Academies,  and 'Female  Seminaries. 

Also, 

The  History  of  The  Western  Theological  Seminary. 

By  James  I.  Brownson,  D.D. 


The  Missionary  History, 
Domestic  and  Foreign ;  with  Biographical  Sketches  of  Missionaries. 
By  Elliot  E.  Swift,   D.D. 
3 


CONTENTS. 


The  Ecclesiastical  History  : 

Organization   of  Presbyteries   and   Synods;    with   Notices  of  the 

EarUer  Ministers. 

By  Samuel  J.  M.  EatOxV,  D.D. 


Pittsburgh  in  the  Last  Century  : 

With  the  Early  History  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Churcli. 

By  William  M.  Darlington,  Esq. 


The  Secular  History, 

its  Connection  with  the  Early  Presbyterian  Church  History  of 

South-western  Pennsylvania. 

By  James  Veech,  LL.D, 


Closing  Address  : 

The  Future  in  the  Light  of  the  Past. 

By  Prof.  Samuel  J.  Wilson,  D.D.,  LL.  1). 


APPENDICES. 


Proceedings  of  the  Convention. 


General  Lndex. 


INTRODUCTION. 


HE  Centennial  Memorial  ConvenCion,  which  assembled 
in  the  First  Church,  Pittsburgh,  December  7-9,  1875, 
was  but  the  last  of  a  series  of  Conventions  which 
have  been  held  at  irregular  intervals  at  Pittsburgh,  for 
conference  and  prayer  with  reference  to  a  revival  of  religion  among 
the  churches  of  this  region. 

In  1842  there  was  a  convocation  of  ministers  and  elders  from  the 
Synods  of  Pittsburgh,  Wheeling,  and  Ohio,  at  which  the  venerable 
Elisha  Macurdy,  then  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  appeared,  and 
addressed  the  convention  with  great  affection  and  solemnity,  closing 
with  this  appeal,  "Brethren,  wake  up  !  Talk  to  sinners  kindly, 
affectionately,  frequently,  and  God  will  pour  out  his  Spirit.  I  have 
no  doubt  but  God  is  ready  to  pour  out  his  Spirit  if  we  will  do  our 
duty.     Farewell,  brethren,  and  may  God  be  with  you." 

This  convention  was  followed  by  large  outpourings  of  the  Spirit 
of  God. 

Again,  in  December,  1857,  the  ministry  and  eldership  were  con- 
vened from  a  radius  of  two  hundred  miles.  They  met,  as  before, 
in  the  First  Church.  During  some  of  the  sessions  the  whole  assem- 
blage was  in  tears,  and  old  men  and  strong  men  were  almost  speech- 
less with  emotion.  That  convention  was  followed  by  a  mighty 
revival,  which  overspread  this  country  during  the  ensuing  winter 
and  through  the  following  year.  Out  of  it  grew  the  "world's 
concert  of  prayer,"  on  the  first  week  of  January,  which  was  first 
proposed  at  Lodiana,  India,  by  the  missionaries  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board,  "having  (as  they  say)  been  greatly  refreshed  by  what  we 
have  heard  of  the  Lord's  dealings  in  America." 

5 


LVTROD  UCTION. 


A  convention  was  also  held  at  Pittsburgh,  in  January  (15-17), 
1861,  at  which  about  three  hundred  ministers  and  elders  were  in 
attendance,  representing  the  region  of  country  embraced  in  the 
"four  Synods."  It  was  a  refreshing  season  of  conference  and 
prayer.  An  excellent  pastoral  letter,  prepared  by  Dr.  Jacobus,  was 
adopted  and  sent  forth  to  be  read  in  the  churches,  many  of  which 
were  richly  blessed  during  the  ensuing  year. 

Another  convention  was  held,  commencing  February  12,  1867, 
in  Pittsburgh,  composed  of  representations  of  twenty  Presbyteries 
embraced  in  the  four  Synods  of  Pittsburgh,  Allegheny,  Wheeling, 
and  Ohio.  This  was  also  called  a  centennial,  having  special  refe- 
rence to  the  missionary  visit  of  Rev.  Charles  Beatty  and  Rev.  George 
Dufifield  to  this  region  about  one  hundred  years  before,  by  appoint- 
ment of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadeli)hia.  The  date  of 
this  convention,  however,  was  too  late  for  a  proper  centennial,  the 
first  visit  of  Charles  Beatty  to  Fort  Duquesne,  and  his  preaching 
there,  having  taken  place  in  1758,  and  his  later  visit  above  men- 
tioned in  1766.  At  this  convention  the  histories  of  several  of  the 
Presbyteries  were  read  by  persons  previously  appointed  to  prepare 
them;  and  a  standing  committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Rev. 
Charles  C.  Beatty,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  as  chairman,  to  secure  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  "  memorial  volume,"  which  should  record  the  history  of 
Presbyterianism  in  Western  Pennsylvania  during  the  preceding 
century.  Owing  to  the  growing  infirmities  of  the  venerable  chair- 
man, Rev.  Dr.  James  I.  Brownson,  of  Washington,  a  member  of 
the  committee,  became  the  acting  chairman.  Several  brethren  were 
appointed  to  prepare  the  different  parts  of  the  proposed  history, 
and  entered  upon  their  work.  But  the  enterprise  was  at  length 
abandoned,  or  rather  postponed,  for  two  reasons,  (ist)  it  was  felt 
that  the  more  appropriate  time  for  such  a  centennial  as  was  proposed, 
would  be  the  year  1875,  ^'^'^^  being  the  anniversary  of  Rev.  John 
McMillan's  advent  to  this  region  and  becoming  the  first  settled 
pastor.  And  (2d)  no  arrangement  had  been  made  in  the  way  of 
funds  to  meet  the  expense  of  publication,  and  the  committee  could 
not  undertake  it  at  their  own  risk.  This  convention  was  also  fol- 
lowed, as  the  preceding  ones  had  been,  with  rich  blessings  upon 
many  of  the  churches  during  the  ensuing  year. 

The  year  1875  leaving  arrived,  the  watchful  acting  chairman  of 


INTROD  UCTION. 


the  memorial  committee  took  measures  for  carrying  out  the  purposes 
of  the  convention  of  1867.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Alumni  Associa- 
tion of  the  Western  Theological  Seminary,  held  in  Allegheny,  April 
2  2d,  the  subject  was  brought  up,  and  Rev.  Messrs.  Aaron  Williams, 
(made  chairman  at  Dr.  Brownson's  request),  James  I.  Brownson, 
James  Allison,  S.  J.  M.  Eaton,  and  George  Hill,  were  appointed  a 
committee  of  arrangements  to  take  the  necessary  measures  for 
calling  a  centennial  memorial  convention,  within  this  year,  to  cele- 
brate the  planting  of  Presbyterianism  in  Western  Pennsylvania  by 
John  McMillan  and  his  co-laborers ;  and  to  secure  the  delivery  of 
appropriate  historical  discourses,  which  should  compose  the  Memo- 
rial Volume  contemplated  by  the  previous  convention.  The  four 
Synods  of  Pittsburgh,  Erie,  Cleveland,  and  Columbus,  were  to  be 
invited  to  join  in  holding  this  convention.  The  committee  met  in 
May,  and,  finding  some  changes  necessary  in  the  list  of  writers 
previously  appointed,  proceeded  to  reconstruct  the  list  of  authors 
by  reappointing  those  who  were  most  available,  and  adding  others. 
The  result  of  these  arrangements  the  reader  has  before  him  in  the 
present  volume.  The  committee  comrnend  the  work  to  the  churches 
as  a  memorial  of  what  our  fathers'  God  has  done  for  us  during  the 
last  hundred  years,  and  to  the  blessing  of  Him  in  whose  covenant 
favor  we  confide. 

A.  W. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Rev.  John  McMillan,  D.D. 

Rev.  Joseph  Patterson. 

Rev.  Francis  Herron,  D.D. 

David  Elliott,  D.d!,  LL.D. 

Charles  C.  Beatty,  D.D.,  LL.D, 

Canonsburg  Academy  (formerly  Jefferson  College). 

Washington  and  Jefferson  College. 

The  Old  Western  Theological  Seminary. 

Western  Theological  Seminary  (present  building). 

Beatty  Hall  and  Library  Hall. 

Steubenville  Seminary. 

Pennsylvania  Female  College  (East  End,  Pittsburgh), 


THE  LIFE  AND  LABORS 


Rev.  John  McMillan,  D.D. 


THE  GOSPEL    WHICH  HE  PREACHED,  AND  ITS  INFLUENCE 
UPON  THE  CIVILIZATION  OF  WEST  PENNSYLVANIA. 


A  DISCOURSE 

BY   THK 

REV.  D.  X.  JUNKIN,  D.D. 


THE  LIFE  AND  LABORS 


REV.  JOHN  MCMILLAN,  D.D. 


Dent,  xxxii.  7. — Remember  the  days  of  old,  consider  the  j'ears  of  many 
generations  :  ask  thy  father,  and  he  will  show  thee  ;  thj-^  elders,  and  they 
will  tell  thee. 

UMAN  progress  is  entirely  dependent  upon  tlie  memory. 
By  this  power  the  mind  retains  or  recalls  knowledge 
once  acquired,  and  thus  garners  the  materials  of 
thought,  comparison,  and  deduction.  Memory  is  at 
once  the  recorder  of  the  intellect  and  the  storehouse  of  the  affections. 
Without  this  faculty  of  mind,  man  would  be  a  perpetual  novice — liis 
past  a  blank,  his  future  imbecility — indeed  he  would  not  be  man. 
Without  memory,  science  and  art  would  perish. 

What  memory  is  to  the  individual,  history  is  to  social  man. 
"  History,"  said  one,  "  is  the  memory  of  nations."  It  teaches 
philosophy  by  example  and  experience.  It  gathers  light  from  the 
past  to  shed  upon  the  future,  and  to  con  its  lessons  is  a  dictate  both 
of  reason  and  of  revelation  \  for,  whilst  it  increases  the  sum  of 
human  knowledge,  it  kindles  a  virtuous  emulation  of  deeds  benefi- 
cent and  great,  inspires  gratitude  to  the  God  of  history,  and  pro- 
claims his  glory. 

It  was  doubtless  from  considerations  of  this  kind  that  Moses  reca- 

^This  discourse  is  an  abridgment  of  the  one  previously  delivered  at 
Pigeon  Creek  and  Chartiers,  the  pastoral  charge  of  Dr.  McMillan. 
ii 


n  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENT/ON. 

pitulated  the  history  of  Israel,  and  enjoined,  as  he  did  in  this  text, 
its  rehearsal  in  every  generation — "  Remember  the  days  of  old,  con- 
sider X\\q.  years  of  many  generations,"  etc.  Although  this  passage  and 
its  context  is  richly  suggestive,  I  propose  not  to  detain  you  with  a 
full  discussion  of  it,  and  I  shall  make  no  further  use  of  it,  except 
to  vindicate,  by  divine  authority,  the  propriety  of  celebrations  like 
the  present,  and  the  duty  of  studying  the  history  of  God's  pro- 
vidence— especially  such  events  as  relate  to  the  Church  of  Christ 
and  to  the  interests  of  civilization  and  regulated  liberty. 

The  holy  nation,  and  almost  all  others,  have  associated  important 
events  in  their  history,  not  only  with  monumental  erections,  but 
with  memorial  days,  anniversaries,  jubilees,  and  centenaries.  For 
this,  in  your  speaker's  judgment,  we  have  divine  authority  in  our 
text  and  numerous  other  Scriptures.  We  are  exhorted,  perhaps 
commanded,  to  "  remember  the  days  of  old." 

History,  when  truthful,  is  a  narrative  of  God's  providence  ;  and 
he  who  fails  to  recognize  "  God  in  history"  has  no  adequate  con- 
ception of  it.  The/^/  of  the  vast  drama  of  time,  of  which  history 
is  but  the  successive  acts  and  scenes,  wds  planned hy  the  divine  mind. 
He  shapes  the  destiny  of  nations.  He  decrees  the  rise  and  fall  of 
empires.  He  is  "  King  of  kings."  His  glorious  purposes  ever 
in  view.  He  provides  instruments  best  adapted  to.  their  accomplish- 
ment.    When  social  tempests  rage,  He 

"  Rides  iu  the  whirlwind  and  directs  the  storm." 

And  if  it  be  our  duty  to  know  God  in  his  being,  perfections,  and 
works,  it  is  our  duty  to  "  remember  the  days  of  ofd,  and  consider 
the  years  of  many  generations." 

This  brief  discussion  of  our  text  will  suffice  to  exhibit  its  mean- 
ing, and  opens  the  way,  whilst  it  supplies  an  apology,  for  a  glance 
at  the  history  of  our  Church  in  this  region ;  and  especially  for  a 
sketch  of  the  life  and  labors  of  the  venerable  man  whom  I  have 
been  requested  to  commemorate. 

The  pioneers  of  Pennsylvania  were  a  race  of  men  better  qualified 
to  make  history  than  to  write  it.  The  axe,  the  mattock,  the  plough, 
and  the  rifle,  were  implements  with  which  they  were  more  familiar 
than  with  the  pen.  Having  to  struggle  with  the  forest,  with  wiFd 
beasts,  and  with  savage  men,  they  performed  heroic  deeds  worthy 


THE  REV.    JOHN  McMILLAN,   D.D.  '3 

of  historical  record ;  but  they  had  no  leisure  or  faciUties  for  re- 
cording them  ;  and  it  is  difficult  to  rescue  from  the  dim  traditions 
and  the  imperfect  records  of  the  times  the  story  of  their  toils  and 
prowess  and  sufferings,  worthy  to  be  written  in  imperishable  lines. 

If  the  civil  and  military  enterprises  of  a  new  country  are  difficult 
to  ascertain  and  verify,  it  is  still  more  difficult  to  trace  the  found- 
ing, in  a  frontier  country,  of  that  kingdom  which  "  cometh  not 
with  observation."  The  physical  development  of  a  country — the 
felling  of  the  forest — the  building  of  cabins  and  towns — the  opening 
of  roads — the  struggle  with  savage  foes — the  burning  of  dwellings — 
the  murder  or  captivity  of  neighbors — are  events  that  impress  them- 
selves upon  the  common  memory  and  become  the  traditions  of  a 
settlement,  and  are  recited  by  the  parents  to  the  children  at  a  thou- 
sand firesides,  and  are  often  recorded  in  letters  and  newspapers. 
But  the  quiet  rearing  of  the  first  family  altars  in  forest  homes — the 
first  gathering  for  social  worship  beneath  the  forest  shades — the  first 
readings  of  the  Holy  Book — the  first  echoes  of  the  voice  of  prayer 
and  praise  from  the  grand  old  hills — the  first  advent  of  the  mission- 
ary of  the  cross — the  noiseless  planting  of  the  seeds  of  piety, 
which  afterwards  grow  into  congregations  of  the  Lord — these,  be- 
cause less  exciting,  are  less  clearly  remembered. 

Still,  there  is  much  material  for  the  church  history  of  Western 
Pennsylvania — far  more  than  could  be  compressed  into  a  single 
discourse  of  reasonable  length ;  and,  as  the  theme  assigned  me  is 
biographical  rather  than  historical,  I  shall  introduce  general  history 
only  so  far  as  my  specific  subject  may  demand. 

On  the  25th  day  of  July,  1775,  two  mounted  men  might  have 
been  seen  slowly  riding  over  the  Laurel  Hill.  The  path  was  almost 
impracticable,  the  day  was  sultry,  and  both  horses  and  riders  gave 
proofs  of  weariness.  Their  equipage  was  such  as  was  usual  at  that 
early  period — saddle,  bridle,  capacious  leather  saddle-bags,  corduroy 
over-alls,  with  overcoats  strapped  upon  the  saddle-pad  behind  the 
riders.  About  noon  they  arrived  at  the  cabin  of  a  Mr.  Barker, 
near  the  western  base  of  Laurel  Hill.  At  that  point  the  travelers 
part  company,  their  routes  leading  in  different  directions.  One 
of  them  tarried  at  Mr.  Barker's  till  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  convoy  of  that  settler  to  the  next  house,  about 
thirty  miles  distant.     The  person  thus  aAvaiting  convoy  through  the 


14  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

wilderness  was  a  young  man  not  yet  twenty-three  years  old,  of 
slender  but  well  knit  frame,  a  little  above  medium  height,  o?" 
rather  dark  complexion,  of  grave  and  comely,  but  not  very  hand- 
some features,  and  of  a  demeanor  that  betokened  earnestness  and 
energy  of  character  beyond  his  years.  He  was  dressed  in  the  garb 
usual  with  clergymen  of  the  period,  now  dusty  from  the  moil  of 
travel. 

This  young  man  had  been  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel,  nine 
months  before,  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  at  East  Notting- 
ham, in  Chester  county. 

From  that  date  he  had  been  itinerating  in  preaching  the  Gospel, 
first  in  the  vacancies  of  his  own  Presbytery,  and  then  in  different 
places  in  Augusta  and  Rockbridge  counties  in  Virginia.  In  July 
he  crossed  the  mountain  from  Staunton  to  the  head  of  Tygert's 
valley,  and  bent  his  way  to  the  Northwest,  preaching  in  the  settle- 
ments through  which  he  passed,  until  he  arrived  at  the  western 
base  of  Laurel  Hill,  as  already  stated. 

At  five  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  that  25th  of  July,  under  the 
guidance  of  Mr.  Barker,  the  youthful  preacher  set  forth  on  his  way 
to  the  part  of  the  country  which  was  to  be  the  field  of  his  life-long 
and  valuable  labors.  "Nothing  remarkable  happened,"  says  he  in 
his  journal,  "save  that  Mr.  Barker  shot  a  doe,  part  of  which  we 
carried  with  us.  Night  coming  on,  and  being  far  from  any  house, 
we  were  forced  to  lodge  in  the  woods.  We  sought  for  a  place  where 
there  was  water,  unsaddled  our  horses,  and  hobbled  them  with 
hickory  bark,  and  turned  them  to  the  hills.  We  then  made  a  fire, 
roasted  a  part  of  our  venison,  and  took  our  supper.  About  ten 
o'clock  we  composed  ourselves  to  rest.  I  wrapped  myself  in  my 
greatcoat  and  laid  me  on  the  ground,  with  my  saddle-bags  for  a 
pillow."  Such  was  the  first  night  spent  in  Western  Pennsylvania 
by  the  man  who  was  to  prove  her  chief  Apostle.  Let  us  trace  him 
from  that  night  in  the  woods,  until  he  reached  the  scene  of  his 
nearly  sixty  years'  toil. 

"Thursday. — This  morning  we  rose  very  early,  ate  our  break- 
fast, got  our  horses,  and  set  to  the  road  again.  About  noon  we 
arrived  at  Ezekiel  York's  (doubtless  '  the  next  house '  before  men- 
tioned). Here  my  companion  left  me,  and  I  had  to  take  to  the 
woods  alone.     Crossed  two  hills,  which  in  some  parts  of  the  world 


THE  REV.    yOHN  McMILLAN,   D.D. 


would  be  called  mountains,  and  after  traveling  what  they  called 
twelve  miles,  came  to  the  glades.  My  lodging  this  night  was  not 
much  better  than  last  night.  I  had  a  deerskin  and  a  sheet  under 
me,  and  a  pillow  for  my  head.  This,  however,  I  placed  under  my 
haunch,  to  keep  my  bones  from  the  floor,  and  I  placed  my  coat 
under  my  head."  "Friday,"  continues  his  journal,  "I  left  the 
glades  and  traveled  ten  miles,  to  one  Coburn's.  Here  I  got  some 
grain  for  my  horse — the  first  since  Wednesday  morning.  They 
told  me  that  I  was  about  ten  miles  from  Col.  Wilson's,  where  I  in- 
tended to  tarry  the  rest  of  the  week ;  but  the  day  being  wet,  the 
road  difficult,  and  houses  scarce,  I  lost  my  way  often.  About 
sunset  I  came  to  a  cabin,  but  it  was  waste.  I  searched  all  about, 
but  could  find  no  inhabitants.  I  then  took  another  path,  and 
reached  another  cabin;  but  there  was  nobody  at  home,  and  the 
door  was  barred.  I  went  further  along  the  path,  but  found  no 
shelter.  The  night  being  dark  and  very  rainy,  I  returned  to  the 
forenamed  cabin,  turned  my  horse  into  a  field,  climbed  the  wall  of 
the  cabin,  and  went  into  a  hole  in  the  roof  that  served  for  a  chim- 
ney. I  then  opened  the  door,  brought  in  my  saddle,  kindled  a  fire, 
laid  myself  down  on  a  sort  of  a  bed,  and  slept  very  contentedly 
till  morning.  I  then  buckled  on  my  wet  clothes,  got  my  horse,  and 
set  out,  not  knowing  which  way  to  steer.  But  before  I  had  gone 
many  rods,  I  met  the  owner  of  the  cabin,  told  him  the  story,  got 
directions  of  the  road,  and  came  to  Col.  Wilson's  in  time  for  break- 
fast." 

On  the  first  Sabbath  of  August  he  preached  at  Mount  Moriah  to 
a  small  congregation.  This  was  his  first  sermon  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania; and  after  mentioning  the  smallness  of  the  audience,  he 
adds:  "However,  they  seemed  attentive,  and  some  tears  were 
shed."  Those  tears  were  the  harbingers  of  copious  showers,  after- 
wards shed  under  the  preaching  of  the  same  earnest  lips ;  and  that 
sermon  was  the  first  link  in  a  series  which  reached  on  for  more 
than  half  a  century. 

Returned  the  same  evening  to  Wilson's,  the  young  preacher 
remained  there  till  Wednesday,  August  4th.  Thence  we  can  trace 
him,  by  his  journal,  from  point  to  point,  preaching  and  visiting, 
until  on  Saturday,  the  21st  of  August,  he  arrived  at  Mr.  John 
McDowell's,  on  Chartiers  Creek,  where,  on  the  following  day,  he 


t6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


preached  his  first  sermon  on  that  field  of  his  Hfe-labor.  Previous 
to  his  arriving  there,  he  had  visited  a  number  of  settlers  with  whom 
he  had  been  acquainted  east  of  the  mountains,  one  of  them  his 
brother-in-law.  These  settlers  were  doubtless  from  Chester  county. 
On  the  next  day  he  rode  to  Patrick  McCuUough's,  on  Pigeon  Creek, 
and  on  Tuesday,  the  24th,  preached  his  first  sermon  in  that  part 
of  his  future  charge,  at  the  house  of  Arthur  Forbes. 

Such  was  the  time,  and  such  the  circumstances,  of  the  first  ad- 
vent of  the  great  and  good  John  McMillan  to  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, and  to  the  churches  of  Chartiers  and  Pigeon  Creek,  in 
which  he  was  the  instrument  of  a  work  which  told  so  mightily 
upon  the  interests  of  religion,  education,  and  civilization  in  this 
western  region. 

John  McMillan  sprung  from  that  sturdy,  earnest,  godly,  and 
liberty-loving  race,  the  Scotch-Irish.  His  parents,  William  and 
Margaret  (^Rea)  McMillan,  emigrated  from  the  North  of  Ireland  to 
Chester  county.  Pa.,  about  1742,  and  settled  at  Fagg's  Manor, 
where  she  died  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  ten  years 
old.  He  was  born  on  the  nth  of  November,  1752.  Like  Elka- 
nah  and  Hannah,  his  pious  parents  had  devoted  him,  in  purpose 
and  in  prayer,  to  the  Gospel  ministry.  Having  lost  an  infant  son, 
they  solemnly  vowed  that,  if  God  would  give  them  another  son 
they  would  call  him  by  the  same  name  (John),  and  devote  him,  God 
willing,  to  the  sacred  office.  The  son  was  given,  the  vow  was  ful- 
filled, and,  as  we  shall  see,  the  child  thus  devoted  was  made  the 
instrument,  like  the  forerunner  of  our  Lord,  of  turning  many  to 
the  wisdom  of  the  just,  to  make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the 
Lord. 

Trained  in  the  family  and  in  the  school  of  the  vicinage,  he  made 
good  progress  in  primary  studies,  and  in  due  time  entered  the 
Fagg's  Manor  Academy,  then  under  the  direction  of  that  eminent 
divine  and  educator,  Dr.  John  Blair.  In  that  school  were  trained 
many  men  who  in  their  day  attained  eminence,  such  as  Davies, 
Cummins,  Robert  Smith,  James  Finley,  Dr.  John  Rodgers,  and 
others.  At  that  academy  young  McMillan  continued,  until  its 
principal,  Dr.  Blair,  was  called  to  Princeton  College.  He  then, 
at  about  the  age  of  fifteen,  repaired  to  the  grammar  school  of 
Pequea,  in  Lancaster  county,  and  pursued  his  studies  under  that 


THE  REV.    JOHN  McMILLAM,   D.D.  if 

learned  scholar  and  theologian,  Dr.  Robert  Smith.  Your  present 
speaker,  in  his  earlier  life,  saw  the  scenes  of  McMillan's  training, 
much  as  they  were  a  hundred  years  ago.  The  churches,  forty  years 
ago,  were  substantial  stone  structures,  the  pulpits  in  the  side 
instead  of  the  end  of  the  building,  and  with  the  straight  high- 
backed  pews  of  the  most  orthodox  type.  Then,  and  very  likely 
yet,  these  ancient  churches  were  surrounded  by  the  grand  old 
forest  trees,  beneath  which  the  red  man  had  strayed;  and  at  Pequea 
the  tree  was  pointed  out  under  which  George  Whitefield  had 
preached. 

Young  McMillan  continued  at  Pequea  until  the  spring  of  1770, 
when  he  entered  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  then  under  the  presi- 
dency of  that  great  scholar,  theologian,  statesman,  and  patriot.  Dr. 
John  Witherspoon,  the  vice-president  being  Dr.  Blair,  formerly 
of  Fagg's  Manor.  Previous  to  entering  college  young  McMillan 
had  been  the  subject  of  religious  impressions,  under  the  ministry 
of  such  men  as  Blair  and  Smith,  and  had  united  with  the  church. 

But  whilst  a  student  at  Princeton,  his  religious  views  and  expe- 
rience assumed  a  much  more  clear  and  satisfactory  type,  particu- 
larly during  a  season  of  revival  in  the  college,  which  occured  not 
long  after  he  entered  it.  He  was  then  eighteen  years  old,  and  seems 
to  have  shared  largely  in  the  spiritual  blessing.  In  his  manuscript 
notes,  he  says,  in  regard  to  this  season  :  "At  one  time  there  were 
not  more  than  two  or  three  of  the  students  that  were  not  under 
serious  impressions.  On  a  day  which  had  been  set  apart  by  some 
of  the  students  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  while  the  others 
were  at  dinner  I  retired  to  my  study,  and  while  trying  to  pray, 
I  got  some  discoveries  of  divine  things  which  I  never  had  before. 
I  now  saw  that  the  Divine  law  was  not  only  holy,  just,  and  spirit- 
ual, but  also  that  it  was  good,  and  that  conformity  to  it  would 
make  me  happy.  I  felt  no  disposition  to  quarrel  with  the  law,  but 
with  myself,  because  I  was  not  conformed  to  it.  I  felt  it  now  easy 
to  submit  to  the  Gospel  plan  of  salvation,  and  felt  a  calm  and  a 
serenity  of  mind  to  which  I  had  hitherto  been  a  stranger.  And 
this  was  followed  by  a  delight  in  contemplating  the  divine  glory, 
in  all  His  works ;  and,  in  meditating  upon  the  divine  perfections, 
I  thought  I  could  see  God  in  everything  around  me." 

In  this  brief  quotation  are  disclosed  the  elements  of  McMillan's 
B 


iS  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENT/ON. 


future  power  and  wide-spread  influence  for  good.  In  that  narrow 
study  in  old  Nassau  Hall,  which  seven  years  afterwards  trembled 
with  the  roar  of  battle,  and  was  partly  consumed  by  British  van- 
dalism  in  that  narrow  study,  and  at  that  noontide  hour,  in  the 

soul  of  that  young  suppliant  on  his  knees,  were  sown  the  seed  of 
lofty  principles  and  mighty  impulses,  which  grew  with  his  growth 
and  strengthened  with  his  strength,  and  made  him  the  hero  that  he 
was.  Then  was  laid  by  the  same  Spirit  who  hath  garnished  the 
heavens,  the  broad  and  deep  foundations  of  John  McMillan's  great- 
ness and  marvellous  influence  for  good.  Then  were  shed  abroad 
in  his  heart  the  grand  impulses  which  bore  him  forward  in  study, 
in  labor,  in  toil,  and  hardship,  and  through  trials  and  dangers  that 
might  appal  the  stoutest  heart.  And  in  that  young  student's  soul 
that  day  were  planted  the  grand  principles  of  religion  and  of  regu- 
lated liberty,  the  dissemination  and  development  of  which,  by  him 
and  his  fellow-laborers,  among  the  brave  and  hardy  settlers  of  this 
region,  have  laid  the  broad  and  stable  foundations  of  our  Christian 
civilization,  and  made  Western  Pennsylvania  a  great,  glorious,  and 
prosperous  community. 

The  Gospel  which,  in  that  hour  of  fasting  and  secret  prayer, 
was  more  fully  shed  abroad  in  that  young  student's  heart,  was  not 
the  mawkish,  sentimental,  emasculated  Gospel,  which  is  so  rife  and 
popular  in  certain  quarters  in  our  day.  It  is  not  a  Gospel  which 
disregards  law — prostrates  all  distinction  between  right  and  wrong — 
esteems  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  as  equally  worthy  and  safe — 
softens  the  lurid  flames  of  Hell  to  the  faintest  rose  color — palsies 
the  restraints  of  law  by  scofiing  at  its  penalties ;  enfeebles  the 
moral  tone  of  the  community  by  holding  up  manhood,  instead 
of  Godhood,  as  the  standard  of  right ;  abates  the  abhorrence  of 
sin,  by  denying  that  it  cost  the  atoning  blood  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  boasts  that  men  do  not  need  that  blood.  It  was  not  a  Gospel 
that  teaches  men  that  its  provisions  are  a  sort  of  insolvent  laiv, 
in  which  God  lets  down  the  high  claims  of  eternal  justice  to  the  level 
of  man's  shattered  abilities,  and  consents  to  accept  a  percentage 
of  the  duties  which  men  owe  to  God  and  to  the  rule  of  right, 
instead  of  a  perfect  satisfaction.  It  was  not  a  Gospel  that  substi- 
tutes man's  putrid  "inwardness"  for  the  moral  law,  as  a  rule  of 
life.     It  was  not  a  Gospel  which  fosters,  instead  of  eradicating, 


THE  REV.   JOHN  McMlLLAN,   D.D.  19 

the  lusts  of  our  corrupt  nature,  and  bears  such  fruit  as  has  re- 
cently emitted  its  fetid  odors  from  a  Brooklyn  Court.  No,  my 
countrymen,  the  Gospel  which  won  the  hearts  of  John  McMillan 
and  James  Power,  and  Joseph  Smith,  and  Thaddeus  Dod,  and  Mat- 
thew Henderson,*  and  the  other  godly  and  self-denying  men,  of 
our  own  and  other  branches  of  the  great  Presbyterian  family,  who 
were  the  pioneer  preachers  of  this  region,  was  a  Gospel  that  teaches 
men  to  fear  God  as  well  as  to  /ove  Him — to  revemice  law  as  the 
exponent  of  the  will  of  the  Supreme — to  aim  to  satisfy  the  claims 
of  law,  by  accepting  the  suretyship  of  Christ,  who  has  in  our  stead 
obeyed  its  precept  and  endured  its  penalty — a  Gospel  that  makes 
men  feel  that  they  are  under  the  law  to  Christ,  and  sweetly  drawn 
to  obey  it,  as  a  rule  of  life,  by  the  impulse  of  love  and  gratitude. 
It  is  a  Gospel  that  "magnifies  law  and  makes  it  honorable,"  not  by 
the  prostration  of  its  penalities,  and  defeating  its  requirements,  but 
by  a  complete  satisfaction  of  both,  through  the  obedience  unto  death 
of  the  God-man,  our  Surety  and  Redeemer.  The  Gospel  which 
McMillan  learned  and  taught  proposed  no  abatement  of  the  high 
claims  of  justice — no  compromise  with  sin,  and  relinquished  no  de- 
mand for  perfect  obedience  to  law.  But  it  pointed  to  the  "Lamb 
of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world" — not  by  an  absolute 
pardon,  which  would  only  encourage  rebellion,  but  by  an  atoning  obe- 
dience and  sacrifice,  which  paid  the  sinner's  debt,  and  at  the  same 
time  demonstrated  that  God  was  so  determined  to  punish  sin  that  he 
would  not  spare  his  beloved  son,  when  he  stood  charged  even  with 
imputed  guilt.  It  was  a  Gospel  which  exibited  at  once  ' '  the  good- 
ness and  severity  of  God" — a  Gospel  which  demonstrates  by  the 
most  terrible  tragedy  of  time,  that  it  is  of  the  essential  nature  of 
God  to  vindicate  justice  by  punishing  sin,  whilst  it  girdles  his  throne 
with  the  rainbow  of  mercy  and  of  hope.  It  is  a  Gospel  of  peace, 
originating  in  eternal  love,  but  based  upon  the  rock  of  eternal  jus- 
tice— a  Gospel  that  slays  the  sinner's  enmity  and  wins  him  to  obedi- 
ence, by  demonstrating  God's  love  to  the  sinner  in  the  death  of  Jesus 
— a  Gospel  that  provides  a  propitiation  (forgiveness),  but  only  that 
its  author  may  be  feared ;  because  it  proves  that  God  never  forgives 

•Matthew  Henderson  was  the  first  Associate  Presbyterian  Minister 
in  West  Pennsylvania.  He  labored  at  Chartiere  near  Canonsbuxg  in 
what  is  now  the  U.  P.  congregation  of  that  place. 


PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


until  it  is  right  and  safe  to  forgive.  In  short,  it  is  a  gospel  that  gives 
"glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace  and  good  will  to 
men.  " 

Such  was  the  Gospel  which  at  that  noontide  hour  flooded  the 
mind  of  the  youthful  McMillan  with  a  light  ''above  the  brightness 
of  the  sun."  Like  the  monk  of  Erfurth,  it  came  to  him  in  his 
solitary  cell.  Like  the  Apostle  Paul,  it  came  to  him  "about  noon ;" 
and  it  is  not  an  uninteresting  coincidence  that  the  Apostle  of  the 
Gentiles  and  the  Apostle  of  Western  Pennsylvania  received  this 
fresh  baptism  about  the  same  hour  of  the  day.  Paul's  illumination 
was  preternatural — McMillan's  by  the  ordinary  operation  of  the 
Spirit  of  Grace;  and  if  the  former  was  called  to  a  more  magnificent 
and  world-wide  work,  the  latter  was  called  to  a  mission  the  re- 
sults of  which  no  human  arithmetic  can  measure. 

We  have  dwelt  longer  upon  this  crisis  in  our  hero's  history,  be- 
cause, as  we  judge,  it  contains  the  seeds  of  things — the  embryo  of 
that  mighty  influence  which  God,  through  this  good  man,  exerted 
upon  the  growing  population  of  this  region,  and  which  He  continues 
to  exert  throughout  the  vast  West.  Into  his  young  heart,  at  that 
crisis  in  his  history,  was  poured  the  light  of  that  Gospel  which  he 
and  his  fellow-evangelists  brought  across  the  Alleghenies  and  planted 
amid  the  grand  old  forests  of  Western  Pennsylvania — a  Gospel 
whose  real  believers  will  lie  abased,  before  their  God,  whilst  they 
spurn  the  yoke  of  man — a  Gospel  which  draws  men  to  God- and  to 
duty  "with  cords  of  love" — that  teaches  them  to  respect  the  rights  of 
others,  and  defend  their  own — that  inculcates  the  true  elements  of 
law,  order,  and  regulated  liberty — and  a  Gospel  whose  outgrowth, 
into  a  formulated  church  government,  as  naturally  produces  re- 
presentative REPUBLICANISM  as  does  the  development  of  the  acorn 
the  oak.  The  great  ideas  of  social  federation,  representation, 
trust,  responsibility,  social  duty,  and  accountability  to  God,  are  all 
taught  in  the  Calvinistic  theory  of  the  Gospel ;  and  all  these  are 
necessary  elements  of  a  true  civilization  and  of  civil  liberty.  And 
if  our  noble  commonwealth  has  exhibited  a  model  representative 
democratic  government,  which  her  younger  sister  states  have  been 
glad  to  copy,  and  which  challenges  the  admiration  of  the  world,  she 
owes  i^t  to  the  doctrines  of  evangelical  religion ;  and  it  is  a  matter 
of  history,  that  Presbyterian  men  exercised  a  controlling  influence 


THE  REV.    JOHN  McMILLAN,   D.D. 


in  Shaping  the  fundamental  law  and  the  jurisprudence  of  our  com- 
monwealth. 

And  it  is  a  matter  of  gratulatfon,  that  the  seed  sown  by  McMillan 
and  his  compeers  has  taken  such  deep  root,  in  the  region  of  which 
this  city  is  the  metropolis,  and  has  produced  so  sturdy  and  prolific 
a  crop  that,  at  the  close  of  a  century  after  their  advent,  the  de- 
scendants of  the  pioneers  maintain,  with  unswerving  firmness,  the 
principles  and  institutions  of  their  fathers.  West  Pennsylvania  still 
contains  ^'the  backbone  of  Presbyterianismy  And,  as  an  index  of 
this,  it  is  but  just  to  say  that  the  local  organ  of  our  Church  in 
this  city  (and  it  is  but  the  echo  of  the  unswerving  conservatism  of 
our  people)  has  firmly  maintained  sound  doctrine  and  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  order,  and  has  never  truckled  to  the  loose  morality 
and  the  corrupt  liberalism  of  the  times.  It  has  never  failed  to 
rebuke,  in  terms  just  and  explicit,  that  morbid  tolerance  of  error 
and  social  corruption,  which  springs  from  the  fact  that  their  abet- 
tors are  rich  and  fashionable,  or  their  authors  men  of  genius  and 
popular  talents. 

But  to  resume  our  narrative,  Mr.  McMillan  graduated  in  the  fall 
of  1772,  and  returned  to  Pequea  and  prosecuted  theological  study 
under  Dr.  Robert  Smith,  as  did  many  of  Dr.  Smith's  former  stu- 
dents, from  time  to  time,  as  there  were  then  no  theological  semina- 
ries in  the  country.  In  due  time  he  was  received  under  the  care  of 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  and,  after  the  usual  trials,  licensed 
to  preach  the  Gospel,  as  already  stated.  This  occurred  before  he 
was  quite  twenty-two  years  of  age.  We  have  already  traced  his 
journey  and  his  labors,  until  he  arrived  upon  the  field  of  his  life  work. 

In  order  to  a  full  appreciation  of  the  labors  of  McMillan  and  his 
compeers,  it  would  be  necessary  to  exhibit  the  state  of  this  country, 
and  of  its  sparse  inhabitants,  at  the  time  of  their  advent.  This 
would  swell  the  present  discourse  beyond  due  limits,  and  might 
trespass  upon  fields  allotted  to  others  of  my  learned  friends ,  who 
are  to  take  part  in  this  celebration.  I  will  only  call  attention,  then, 
to  those  marvellous  movements  of  Divine  Providence,  by  which  this 
region  was  reserved  to  become  the  home  of  Presbyterians. 

At  one  time  it  seemed  likely  that  the  lilied  flag  of  France 
would  wave  from  Quebec  to  New  Orleans,  over  the  Canadas  and 
the  vast   valley  of  the  Mississippi —symbol  of  the   power  of  the 


sx  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENT/ON. 

Bourbons,  and  protector  of  the  Popish  rehgion.  At  another  time, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Ohio  Company,  of  which  the  Washing- 
ton family  were  active  members,  there  was  a  prospect  that  this  region 
would  be  settled  by  Germans,  and  that  the  language  of  Luthei 
would  here  prevail.  But  God  had  other  purposes;  and  this  land  was 
reserved  for  the  occupancy  of  that  race  which,  having  migrated,  for 
conscience'  sake,  from  North  Britain  to  Ulster,  had  stood,  at  Derry 
and  on  the  banks  of  the  Boyne,  for  the  Protestant  religion  and 
the  liberties  of  the  world. 

It  was  a  kind  and  wondrous  Providence  by  which,  the  power  of 
France  was  swept  from  the  vast  region  which  they  once  claimed, 
and  by  which  the  scarlet  woman  was  kept  from  rearing  her  altars 
and  establishing  her  persecuting  power  in  this  magnificent  domain. 
It  was  a  wondrous  Providence  that  reserved  for  the  Scotch  and 
Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  a  home  in  this  grand  region,  and  com- 
mitted to  their  rude  but  honest  hands  the  chief  part  in  laying  the 
foundations  and  shaping  the  structure  of  our  institutions,  civil  and 
religious. 

The  main  events,  civil  and  military,  which  secured  this  result, 
are  known  to  the  tyro  in  our  history.  The  French  were  expelled. 
The  honest  Germans  would  not  settle  in  a  region  over  which 
Episcopacy  claimed  rule  and  tithes  (for  Virginia  claimed  this  re- 
gion at  the  time  Lawrence  Washington  was  negotiating  for  German 
emigrants,  and  Episcopacy  was  the  established  religion  of  the  old 
Dominion),  and  thus  it  was  that  West  Pennsylvania  was  reserved 
for  the  Scotch-Irish. 

We  have  not  space  to  describe  the  slow  and  difficult  process  by 
which  these  western  counties  were  settled.  The  population  was 
still  sparse  when  Mr.  McMillan  arrived.  The  people  were  still 
grappling  with  the  forests,  and  endangered  by  savage  foes.  No 
more  interesting  historical  field  is  afforded  in  our  country  than  is 
West  Pennsylvania.  The  simple  facts  connected  with  its  settle- 
ment, its  defence  against  the  French  and  the  Indians,  and  its  pro- 
gressive development,  transcend  in  interest  the  stories  of  romance. 
From  the  time  that  the  first  traders  visited  this  region,  as  early  as 
1 715  or  1720,  on  to  the  date  of  the  advent  of  the  first  permanent 
white  settler,  Christopher  Gist,  in  1752,  its  history  is  one  of  thril 
ling  interest ;  and  illustrates,  in  the  most  wonderful  manner,  the 


THE   REV.    JOH.\'  McMJLLAS,    D.D.  }>3 

grand  unity  of  that  scheme  of  Divine  providence,  the  record  of 
which  makes  up  the  drama  of  human  history.  The  visit  of  a  young 
Virginian  to  Venango  Le  Boeuf,  and  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  the  next 
year  after  Christopher  Gist's  settlement,  constitutes  a  link  in  one  of 
the  most  stupendous  chains  of  human  events  which  history  records. 
Gist  accompanied  this  young  man  on  this  important  journey;  and,  on 
their  return,  the  youth  narrowly  escaped  death  by  an  Indian  bullet, 
in  what  is  now  Butler  county ;  and  was  near  perishing  the  next  day 
in  the  swollen  waters  of  the  Allegheny,  a  short  distance  above  where 
this  city  now  stands.  But  God  preserved  him  then,  and  subsequently, 
to  become  the  father  of  his  Country,  and  to  give  to  history  its 

most  ILLUSTRIOUS  NAME. 

On  his  way  out,  that  youth  had  cast  his  military  eye  over  ' '  the 
Point,"  the  future  site  of  Forts  Duquesne  and  Pitt;  and,  when  he 
returned  to  Williamsburg,  he  made  such  a  report  of  the  military 
importance  of  the  position  as  induced  Governor  Dinwiddie  to  send 
Capt.  Trent,  the  next  year,  with  a  company  of  soldiers,  to  take 
possession  of  this  locality  and  erect  a  fort.  Trent  arrived  on 
the  17th  of  February,  1754,  took  military  possession  of  the  site 
of  the  future  Pittsburgh,  and  commenced  the  erection  of  a  fort; 
but  before  it  was  completed,  it  was,  on  the  17th  of  April,  be- 
leagured  by  Contracoeur  with  a  large  body  of  French  and  Indians. 
These  came  down  the  Allegheny  river  in  about  one  thousand 
canoes  and  batteaus.  Trent  being  absent,  his  lieutenant.  Ward, 
was  constrained  to  capitulate,  and  returned  to  Virginia.  And 
thus,  on  the  site  of  this  city,  began,  a  century  and  a  quarter 
ago,  that  memorable  conflict,  the  old  French  war,  which  sent  its 
thunders  into  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  sent  desolation  along 
our  frontiers,  and  resulted  in  sweeping  the  lilies  of  France  from 
the  vast  domain  which  she  claimed  in  Canada  and  the  valleys  of 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi. 

Previous  to  this  war,  a  few  settlers  had  arrived — some  from  Mary- 
land, some  from  Virginia,  but  much  greater  numbers  from  Cum- 
berland, Franklin,  and  other  counties  of  Pennsylvania.  But  they 
had  nearly  all  abandoned  their  rude  homes,  upon  the  commencement 
of  that  war.  After  the  peace  of  1762,  many  of  them  returned, 
and  the  tide  of  the  immigration,  notwithstanding  the  alarms  j^nd 
horrors  of  Pontiac's  war,  became  steady,  and  many  flocked  to  this 


24.  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

region — some  from  other  colonies,  but  chiefly  from  the  parts  of 
Pennsylvania  which  had  been  settled  by  the  Scotch-Irish,  and  also 
from  Ireland  itself. 

Like  Gideon's  men,  the  pioneers  were  select — selected  by  a  pro- 
cess somewhat  similar.  None  but  the  hardy,  the  brave,  the  rough 
and  ready,  the  self-denying  and  adventurous,  would  be  likely, 
voluntarily,  to  encounter  the  toils  and  perils  of  the  wilderness. 
The  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  preponderated,  although  consider- 
able numbers  of  German  descent  and  some  from  other  colonies 
mingled  with  them.  They  were  of  the  middle  class  in  society, 
which  is  removed  alijce  from  the  effeminacy  of  the  wealthy  and  the 
indolence  and  ignorance  of  the  lower  strata.  Whatever  the  Pres- 
byterian immigrant  might  be  forced  to  leave  behind,  he  brought 
with  him  to  his  forest  home  the  Bible  and  Shorter  Catechism,  and, 
long  before  there  were  any  ministers,  or  organized  congregations,  or 
public  worship,  many  a  cabin  in  the  wold  resounded  with  the 
voices  of  praise  and  prayer. 

At  the  time  of  McMillan's  advent,  Pittsburgh  was  an  irregular 
village.  The  country  was  a  wilderness.  A  dense  and  majestic  fo- 
rest reared  its  countless  sturdy  columns  and  tossed  its  stalwart  branches 
over  this  broad  expanse  of  hill  and  valley,  broken  only  here  and  there 
by  "a  deadening"  or  incipient  clearing.  The  roads  were  rough  and 
often  dangerous,  mere  bridle-paths,  almost  impracticable  for  any  con- 
veyance except  the  pack-horse.  The  rude  log  cabin,  with  its  clap- 
board roof  and  doors,  its  earthen,  or  at  best  its  puncheon  floor,  and 
rough  and  sylvan  furniture,  was  the  settler's  home.  Salt,  iron,  glass, 
powder,  shot,  and  all  such  necessaries,  had  to  be  brought  over  the 
mountains  on  pack-horses.  Their  food  consisted  of  the  products  of 
the  soil,  prepared  with  the  rudest  appliances,  to  which  milk,  pork, 
venison,  and  other  fruits  of  the  chase  were  added.  Their  clothing, 
after  the  garments  brought  with  them  were  worn  out,  was  largely  of 
their  own  manufacture.  Flaxen  cloth  and  linsey-woolsey  constitut- 
ed the  garments  of  the  women  and  the  hunting  shirts  of  the  men, 
whilst  buckskin  was  a  staple  both  for  moccasins  and  dress.  As  many 
as  nineteen  bridegrooms  have  been  known  to  be  married  in  the  same 
blue  cloth  coat,  the  only  dress  coat  in  as  many  wedding  parties,  which 
was  made  to  do  duty,  by  fair  sale  or  generous  loan,  for  several  years. 
Their  manners  and  customs  were  as  simple  and  unostentatious  as 


THE  REV.   JOHN  McMILLAN,   D.D.  ^ 

their  attire.  A  frank  hospitality  marked  their  intercourse  with  neigh- 
bors and  with  strangers.  A  sound  morality,  a  simple  honesty,  and 
often,  too,  decided  piety,  imparted  lofty  character  to  the  pioneers. 
Their  women  were  worthy  of  such  husbands,  and  worthy  to  be  the 
mothers  of  the  generations  which,  under  blander  auspices,  have  de- 
scended from  them.  They  were  heroines  in  their  sphere,  and  many 
a  deed  of  daring  was  performed  by  woman's  hand  in  those  trying 
times. 

It  was  to  such  a  wilderness  land,  and  to  such  a  brave,  thoughtful, 
and  unsophisticated  people  that  John  McMillan  and  his  fellow-labo- 
rers came  an  hundred  years  ago. 

After  his  first  visit  to  Chartiers  and  Pigeon  Creek,  he  preached  at 
several  points  in  this  region,  and  amongst  others  at  Fort  Pitt,  where 
he  spent  the  second  Sabbath  of  September.  Thence  he  returned  to 
his  father's  house  in  Fagg's  Manor,  which  he  reached  in  October, 
1775.  He  then  attended  Presbytery,  and  was  appointed  to  go  on 
another  missionary  tour,  to  the  valley  of  Virginia,  and  thence  west- 
ward ;  and  we  can  trace  his  progress,  by  the  help  of  his  journal, 
through  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  over  the  bleak  AUeghanies,  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  till  he  again  arrives  at  Pigeon  Creek,  on  the  fourth 
Sabbath  of  January,  1776,  and  on  the  next  Sabbath  at  Chartiers. 
This  second  visit  awakened  great  interest  in  the  places  where  he 
labored,  and  he  often  speaks  of  the  assemblies  being  "numerous, 
attentive,  and  much  affected."  He  returned  home  in  March.  Soon 
after  a  call  was  made  and  forwarded  to  his  Presbytery,  which  he  ac- 
cepted on  the  22d  of  April,  1776.  He  was  then  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Donegal,  then  the  most  westerly  Presbytery  of  the 
Church,  and  by  it  he  was  ordained,  in  view  of  taking  charge  of  those 
congregations  in  which  he  spent  his  life.  His  ordination  took  place 
at  Chambersburg,  June  19,  1776. 

Meantime  the  war  of  the  Revolution  had  begun.  Lexington  and 
Bunker's  Hill  and  other  battle  fields  had  been  baptized  to  freedom 
in  patriot  blood.  Fifteen  days  after  McMillan's  ordination  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  was  made  and  signed,  and  the  country 
committed  to  a  life  or  death  struggle. 

He  tarried  in  the  East  until  August  6th,  when  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Catherine  Brown,  daughter  of  an  elder  of  the  church  of  Upper 
Brandywine.     The  marriage  was  solemnized  by  the  Rev.  John  Car- 


!b  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNUL    CONVENTION. 


micliael,  father  of  the  late  Mrs,  Robert  Jenkins,  of  Windsor  Place, 
Lancaster  county,  and  grandfather  of  the  wives  of  Drs.  John  W. 
Scott,  John  W.  Nevin,  Alfred  Nevin,  and  Rev.  W.  W.  Latta.  It  was 
this  patriotic  pastor,  as  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Jenkins,  informed  me, 
who,  when  on  a  visit  to  Washington's  camp  at  Valley  Forge,  heard 
our  great  chief  complaining  of  the  great  want  of  linen  for  dressing 
the  wounds  and  sores  of  his  suffering  soldiers.  Carmichael  returned 
home,  and,  on  the  next  Sabbath,  made  an  appeal  to  the  patriotic 
women  of  his  charge,  asking  them  to  spare  three  or  four  inches  from 
the  lower  end  of  a  certain  garment,  to  meet  this  crying  want  in  the 
suffering  army.  The  women  of  Brandywine  responded  to  the  call ; 
and,  by  Tuesday  noon,  the  pastor  might  might  have  been  seen  ap- 
proaching the  camp  with  several  bags  full  of  narrow  rolls  of  linen, 
just  such  as  the  surgeons  needed.  The  country  was  so  poor,  and 
importations  being  cut  off,  it  was  necessary  for  people  to  deny  them- 
selves, in  order  to  sustain  the  patriot  cause.  And  I  have  no  doubt 
that  the  young  bride,  Catharine  McMillan  (for  she  was  still  there), 
contributed  her  full  share  to  the  stores  of  the  surgeons.  And  these 
were  no  flimsy  cotton  rags  (cotton  was  then  unknown),  but  good 
substantial  home-made  linen. 

Such  were  the  perils  of  the  times,  that  McMillan  did  not  take  his 
wife  to  the  West  until  more  than  two  years  after  his  marriage.  But 
he  visited  his  congregations,  spent  much  time  amongst  them,  preach- 
ing, ordaining  elders,  and  administering  ordinances.  At  length,  in 
November,  1778,  his  family  accompanied  him  to  the  field  of  their 
future  abode  and  labors. 

In  a  letter  written  to  Dr.  Carnahan,  in  1832,  he  describes  the 
home  to  which  he  brought  his  family.  "  The  cabin  in  which  I  was 
to  live  was  raised,  but  it  had  neither  roof,  chimney,  nor  floor. 
The  people,  however,  were  very  kind ;  they  assisted  in  preparing  my 
house,  and  on  the  i6th  of  December  I  moved  into  it;  but  we  had 
neither  bedstead,  tables,  stool,  chair,  nor  bucket.  All  such  things 
we  had  to  leave  behind,  as  there  was  no  wagon-road  over  the 
mountains,  and  everything  had  to  be  carried  on  pack-horses.  We 
placed  two  boxes,  one  upon  the  other,  for  a  table,  and  two  kegs 
served  for  seats,  and  having  committed  ourselves  to  God,  in  family 
worship,  we  spread  a  bed  on  the  floor  and  slept  soundly  till  morn- 
ing.    The  next  day,  a  neighbor  coming  to  my  assistance,  we  made 


THE  REV.    JOHi\  AIcMlLLAN,   D.D. 


a  table  and  stools,  and  in  a  little  time  we  had  everything  com- 
fortable about  us.  Sometimes,  indeed,  we  liad  no  bread  for  weeks 
together,  but  we  had  plenty  of  pumpkins  and  potatoes,  and  all 
the  necessaries  of  life;  as  for  luxuries,  we  were  not  concerned 
about  them.  We  enjoyed  health,  the  Gospel  and  its  ordinances, 
and  pious  friends.  We  were  in  the  place  where  God  would  have 
us  be ;  and  we  did  not  doubt  but  that  He  would  provide  every- 
thing necessary.  And,  glory  to  His  name,  we  were  not  disappoint- 
ed." 

Brethren  and  countrymen,  what  a  mighty  influence  for  good 
was  begun  in  that  log-cabin,  on  the  night  of  the  i8th  of  December, 
1778!  When  that  young  minister  and  his  young  and  godly  wife 
knelt  tliat  night  in  family  prayer,  a  train  of  causes  was  -set  in 
operation,  which  reached  on  through  more  than  half  a  century,  and 
is  still  operating  for  good  far  beyond  the  sphere  of  their  personal 
agency.  The  Gospel,  as  preached  by  him  and  by  those  who  were 
converted  under  his  ministry,  or  educated  through  his  agency,  has 
proved  mighty  through  God  to  the  accomplishment  of  grand 
results.  As  a  minister,  an  educator,  and  a  citizen,  he  was  a  man 
of  wondrous  work.  Possessing  a  strong  physique,  a  mind  above 
mediocrity,  an  education  solid  and  in  advance  of  his  times,  his 
labors  must  have  been  simply  prodigious,  especially  in  the  early 
years  of  his  ministry,  when  the  poverty  of  his  people  prevented  them 
from  giving  him  an  adequate  stipend,  and  his  own  hands  had  to 
minister  to  his  necessities.  To  write  always  one,  and  sometimes 
two,  sermons  a  week,  and  to  commit  them  to  memory — to  visit  his 
flock,  scattered  over  a  wide  district  of  forest  country — to  catechise,  to 
assist  at  communions,  to  attend  church  courts — and  all,  over  such 
roads  as  the  present  generation  cannot  conceive  of,  demanded 
Herculean  toil  and  brain  work. 

And  the  results  of  the  labors  of  him  and  his  contemporaries  are 
stupendous.  If  there  is  a  striking  contrast  between  the  log-cabins 
of  the  pioneers  and  the  stately  mansions  that  now  adorn  both  town 
and  country ;  if  the  Western  Pennsylvania  of  to-day,  with  her  towns, 
cities,  churches,  colleges,  schools,  factories,  steamboats,  railroads, 
and  her  ten  thousand  appliances  of  human  elegance  and  comfort, 
presents  a  wondrous  contrast  with  the  forest-clad,  savage-roamed, 
roadless,  and  thinly  populated  Pennsylvania  of  one  hundred  years 


28  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

ago;  if  we  now  exult  in  a  civilization  such  as  adorns  and  blesses 
social  life  ;  and  if  we  may  justly  claim  that  our  region  has  sent  forth 
men,  means,  and  influences  to  shape  the  great  commonwealths 
which  have  sprung  up  west  of  us,  we  ought,  in  simple  justice,  to 
trace  our  own  solid  greatness  and  the  happy  influences  which  we 
have  been  able  to  set  forth,  largely  to  the  seed  sown  by  John 
McMillan  and  his  compeers  in  toil,  and  to  the  plastic  power  of  their 
life  and  labors.  Into  the  details  of  these  labors  we  have  not  time  to 
enter.  A  volume  could  not  record  them.  They  were  abundant, 
unceasing,  earnest,  and  powerful.  The  grand  old  story  of  the  cross 
was  their  central  and  never  forgotten  theme.  The  doctrines  of  the 
cross — the  motives  and  the  glories  of  the  cross — they  loved  to  pro- 
claim: The  fall  and  depravity  of  man — the  abhorrent  nature  of  sin 
— the  sinner's  liability  to  the  law's  dread  penalty — the  need  of  a 
Redeemer  and  an  atonement — the  love  of  God  in  providing  both — 
Christ's  death  and  righteousness — the  freedom  and  fulness  of  salva- 
tion— the  necessity  of  the  new  birth,  faith,  and  repentance  ;  Sinai, 
Gethsamane,  Calvary,  death,  judgment,  heaven,  hell :  such  were  the 
themes  of  the  preaching  of  John  McMillan  and  his  contemporaries 
of  our  own  and  other  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  these 
Western  counties.  And  they  are  the  only  themes  worthy  of  the 
pulpit.  These  doctrines  had,  in  the  British  Isles,  so  leavened 
society  as  to  accomplish  wonderful  reformation  and  sow  the  seeds 
of  liberty  and  constitutional  government.  The  Bible,  the  Sabbath, 
and  Calvinism,  had  made  Britain  what  she  is,  and  had  made  Ulster 
the  nursery  of  freemen.  And  when  these  doctrines,  in  connection 
with  the  republican  form  of  church  government,  were  planted  in  the 
virgin  soil  of  this  region,  and  amongst  a  people  of  strong  mother 
wit,  of  simple  manners,  and  free  as  the  winds  which  tossed  the  forests 
round  them,  they  had  fuller  development,  and  have  produced  their 
normal  fruits  in  fuller  measure  than  ever  before.  I  except  only 
New  England,  where  the  same  causes  wrought  the  same  glorious 
results. 

Dr.  McMillan's  voice,  even  when  your  present  speaker  sat  under 
it,  in  1829-31,  was  strong,  clear,  and  powerful  in  the  tones  of 
denunciation,  but  often  meltingly  tender.  As  I  remember  him,  he 
was  peculiarly  powerful  in  exhibiting  the  terrors  of  the  law.  He  al- 
most made  you  hear  the  mutterings  and  feel  the  vibrations  of  Sinai's 


THE  REV.   JOHN  McMILLAN,   D.D.  sg 

thunder;  and  yet,  when  setting  forth  the  love  of  Jesus,  his  voice 
would  mellow  to  the  tenderest  tones.  At  the  communion  seasoij 
he  was  peculiarly  effective.  Then  his  heart,  and  eyes,  and  voice 
were  like  those  of  one  fresh  from  Getlisamar.e  and  Golgotha.  Me- 
thinks  I  can  hear  him  yet,  as  in  melting  accents,  he  would  say  to 
the  communicants,  as  they  sat  around  the  long  white  table  :  "  Eat, 
O  friends;  drink,  yea,  drink  abundantly,  O  beloved!"  Forty-six 
years  ago,  last  March,  I  sat  down,  for  the  first  time,  at  the  holy 
table,  in  the  dear  old  church  of  Chartiers.  The  lovely  and  beloved 
John  Cloud,  who,  with  the  lamented  Laird,  laid  his  bones  beneath 
the  torrid  sands  of  Africa,  our  first  martyr  missionary,  sat  by  my 
side.  Dr.  McMillan  served  that  table ;  and  the  memory  of  that 
scene  shall  never  fade  from  .this  heart.  It  was  a  Bochim.  So  ten- 
derly did  the  Doctor  portray  the  scenes  of  Calvary,  that  every  eye 
ran  over,  every  heart  was  full.  My  dear  friend  Cloud  was  con- 
vulsed with  emotion,  and  the  entire  audience  was  moved.  My 
venerated  President,  Dr.  Matthew  Brown,  was  there,  with  soul 
aglow,  assisting  in  the  ordinance ;  and  it  was  a  day  to  be  remem- 
bered. Alas !  how  few  then  present  linger  here  below.  But  it  is 
well — Heaven  only  is  home  1 

It  might  be  pleasant,  on  this  centenary,  to  make  mention  of  the 
places  and  houses  of  worship  of  one  hundred  years  ago  ;  to  follow 
the  early  preachers  as  they  proclaimed  the  Gospel,  first  in  the  pri- 
vate cabin-houses,  then  in  "  the  tent,"  located  near  some  sparkling 
spring,  with  logs  or  puncheons  for  seats,  ranged  like  the  seats  of  a 
church ;  a  platform  roofed  over  for  a  pulpit,  with  a  board  in  front 
for  the  books,  and  a  bench  for  a  seat,  with  no  shelter  for  the  con- 
gregation but  the  grand  old  forest  trees.  Many  a  time  have 
McMillan  and  his  compeers  proclaimed  the  Gospel  from  one  of 
these  "tents,"  in  a  church  whose  walls  were  the  horizon,  or  at 
best,  the  surrounding  hills,  whose  pillars  were  the  sturdy  forest 
trees,  whose  ceiling  was  the  sky,  and  whose  floor  was  the  grassy 
or  the  leaf-strewn  earth. 

Then  succeeded  the  structure  of  unhewn  logs,  roofed  with  clap- 
boards, sometimes  "  chuncked  and  daubed,"  and  sometimes  not. 
Then,  as  the  resources  of  the  worshipers  improved,  the  hewn  log 
meeting-house,  with  recess  in  the  centre  of  each  long  side,  so  that 
two  lengths  of  logs  could  be  builded  in,  the  pulpit  occupying  one 


30  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

of  the  recesses.  Then  came,  as  years  rolled  on,  the  structures  of 
fi«ame,  stone,  and  brick ;  but  none  of  these  last  belonged  to  the 
period  we  celebrate. 

For  a  long  time  they  had  no  means  of  heating  their  churches  in 
winter.  No  stoves  were  to  be  had  ;  and  even  when  it  was  proposed 
to  introduce  them,  it  was  resisted  by  some  as  an  innovation  almost 
heretical.  Hardy  dames  must  our  grandmothers  have  been.  Hardy 
men  their  sons  and  husbands.  Sometimes  an  earthen  hearth  would 
be  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  meeting-house,  and  a  pile  of  wood  or 
charcoal  would  afford  some  heat ;  and  the  open  puncheon  floors, 
and  abundant  crevices  between  the  logs,  afforded  escape  to  the  car- 
bonic-acid gas,  which  else  had  suffocated  our  orthodox  ancestors. 

Communion  seasons,  in  the  earlier  years,  were  less  frequent  and 
better  attended  than  now.  Sometimes  hundreds  would  gather  from 
near  and  distant  congregations  to  share  the  blessed  privilege  ;  and 
such  was  the  hospitality  of  the  times  that  all  found  entertainment. 
Sometimes  thousands  would  be  drawn  together  ;  and  with  wagons 
and  other  appliances  for  shelter,  many  would  remain  upon  the 
ground  from  day  to  day — a  camp  meeting.*  Glorious  revivals  often 
marked  these  assemblies  ;  and  in  many  such  our  Christian  hero  bore 
effective  part.  And  for  all  that  is  sublimely  simple,  solemn,  and 
impressive  in  the  worship  of  God,  some  of  these  scenes  in  the  grand 
old  forests  of  these  counties  throw  the  more  artistic  services  of  our 
most  gorgeous  churches  into  utter  shade. 

I  will  have  time  only  to  mention,  without  elaborating,  that  which 
was  by  no  means  the  least  important  part  of  the  life-work  of  ray 
hero.  Nor  is  it  necessary,  as  this  subject  will  be  fully  treated  by 
my  brother,  Dr.  Brownson.     He  was  the  father  of  education,  in  its 

*  The  pioneers  brought  with  them  from  the  older  countries,  and  from 
Ireland  and  Scotland,  the  custom  of  using  unleavened  bread  at  the 
Lord's  Supper.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  custom  originated  in  a 
desire  to  conform,  as  closely  as  possible,  to  the  ordinance  as  originally 
instituted.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  unleavened  cakes  were  used  at 
the  first  Lord's  Supper ;  and  that  it  was  considered  as  symbolical,  even 
under  the  Christian  dispensation,  is  manifest  from  1  Cor.  v.  8.  When 
the  custom  of  using  sweetened  unleavened  cakes  came  in,  or  why  intro- 
duced, we  cannot  ascertain.  It  is  not  universal.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  unleavened  bread,  in  the  form  of  cake,  is  more  convenient  than 
bread  from  an  ordinary  leavened  loaf;  whilst  it  is  certainly  not  leaa 
Rcriptural. 


THE  REV.  JOHN  McMillan,  D.D.  ji 

higher  grades,  in  this  western  land.  True,  Smith,  Dodd,  and  others 
started  schools  at  an  early  date,  and  deserve  much  praise.  But 
McMillan  began  his  cabin-college  early,  and  maintained  it  long, 
until  it  was  merged  in  the  Canonsburg  Academy,  and  then  in  Jeffer- 
son College.  He  educated  more  than  one  hundred  young  men, 
most  of  whom  entered  the  ministry,  and  others  became  distinguished 
in  other  professions.  What  human  arithmetic  can  calculate  the  in- 
fluence for  good  that  resulted  from  his  educational  labors,  and  then 
from  the  teaching  and  the  preaching  of  his  pupils,  and  theirs,  in  a 
widening  ratio  of  progression.  As  an  educator,  he  is  entitled  to  the 
gratitude  of  posterity. 

Fourteen  years  ago,  in  a  little  metrical  memorial  of  my  class 
(1831),  delivered  in  Providence  Hall,  Jefferson  College,  I  made 
mention  of  several  of  the  early  worthies  in  the  history  of  the  college; 
and,  as  I  cannot  give  my  estimate  of  my  venerable  subject  in  fewer 
words,  you  will  pardon  a  quotation  from  my  little  poem : 


"  There  was  another,  fifty  years  ago, 
Still  lingering  mid  those  scenes— a  saint  below ; 
A  reverend  relic  of  a  bygone  age, 
The  Christian  pastor,  teacher,  patriot,  sage ; 
By  all  the  sons  of  Jefferson  revered, 
I  see  him  now— ^just  as  he  once  appeared. 
Above  the  medium  height,  erect  and  square — 
Frost  slightly  sprinkled  o'er  his  masive  hair ; 
His  eyes  benignant,  features  long  and  grave — 
Step  slow  and  steady — manners  blunt  and  naive ; 
His  costume— he  despised  the  gay  beau  monde — 
Fashion  prescribed  not  what  he  dotted  and  donned — 
Broad-brim  and  doublet,  broad  skirt,  small  clothes,  won 
Respectful  notice ;  'twas  the  style  of  Washington ! 
A  wit,  a  scholar,  patriot,  and  divine. 
His  name  in  Western  annals  long  shall  shine. 
While  yet,  on  Western  hill,  and  plain,  and  glen, 
Roam'd  savage  beasts  and  not  less  savage  men ; 
While  settlers'  cabins,  few  and  far  between, 
Dotted  these  wilds;  and  wigwam  tires  were  seen 
Gleaming  along  meandering  Chartiers, 
He  cjime,  the  Apostle  of  the  pioneers. 
With  earnest  manner,  and  with  tearful  eye— 
His  pulpit  earth — his  sounding-board  the  sky  — 
And  oft  his  trusty  rifle  by  his  side ; 
His  hearers  armed  against  a  savage  foe. 


3^  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


He  spake,  mid  forest  shades,  of  Him  who  died, 
Pointed  the  way  to  Heav'n,  and  warn'd  of  couaing  woe. 
Mid  scenes  like  these,  he  and  his  brave  compeers — 
The  stalwart  Presbyterian  pioneers 
Of  Western  Pennsylvania — sowed  the  seed. 
Of  which  their  sons  now  reap  the  glorious  meed : 
Religion,  education,  freedom,  arts, 
A  teeming  husbandry  and  crowded  marts. 
Refinement,  enterprise,  and  plenty  reign, 
Where  erst  roam'd  prowling  beasts  and  savage  mou. 
And  songs  of  Ziou  now  are  sweetly  sung. 
Where  erst  the  war-whoop  and  the  deat;h  song  rung. 

All  honor  to  the  men  whose  stalwart  arms, 
'Mid  toil,  privation,  and  war's  dread  alarms — 
Whilst  struggling  for  a  home  and  daily  bread. 
In  faith  and  prayer  the  deep  foundations  laid. 
On  which  our  glorious  institutions-rest ! 
Oh!  be  their  names  revered,  their  mem'ry  blest; 
And,  while  we  give  their  deeds  to  hallowed  fame, 
High  on  the  scroll  write  John  McMillan's  name  ! 
When  embyro  Jefferson,  neath  clapboard  roof, 
Of  future  greatness  gave  the  earliest  proof— 
A  cabin  college  in  the  wold— he  won 
The  honored  title— FOUNDER  OF  JEFFERSON. 

Of  many  interesting  incidents  in  the  history  of  this  good  and 
great  man  we  have  not  time  to  speak.  Of  the  defects  of  his  public 
character  and  career,  and  they  were  few,  it  might  be  ungracious  to 
make  mention.  The  most  prominent  of  these  was,  perhaps,  an  un- 
due severity  in  rebuking  what  he  disapproved,  and  a  certain  blunt- 
1USS  of  manner  and  speech  which  sometimes  repelled  those  whom  he 
might  have  won.  As  illustrative  of  this  trait,  we  might  mention  his 
impatience  with  the  freaks  of  fashion  and  with  foppery  in  dress. 
He  clung  to  the  cocked  hat,  breeches,  and  shoe-buckles,  long  after 
others  had  laid  them  aside  ;  and  seemed  reluctant  to  permit  woven 
cloth  to  supersede  the  buckskin.  Joseph  Dunlap,  son  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  College,  was  somewhat  inclined  to  foppishness  in  dress. 
Meeting  him  one  day  when  trigly  dressed,  the  doctor  broke  out 
with,  "Joe,  can  you  tell  me  the  difference  between  you  and  the 
devil?  "  "  Oh,  yes,"  retorted  Joe ;  "  the  devil  wears  a  cocked  hat, 
a  low  flapped  doublet,  a  coat  of  continental  cut,  breeches  and  shoes 
with  knee  and  shoe  buckles ;  but  I  wear  pantaloons  and  clothing  of 


THE  REV.    JOHN  McMILLAN,   D.D.  ^j 

modern  style."  The  laugh  was  against  the  Doctor,  and  he  joined  in 
it  with  great  good  humor. 

He  loved  a  practical  joke.  It  is  said  that  once,  on  his  way  to 
Synod,  accompanied  by  that  devout  man,  Joseph  Patterson,  they 
asked  for  a  little  whiskey,  by  way  of '  making  some  compensation 
for  the  watering  of  their  horses  at  a  country  inn.  A  small  quantity 
was  poured  into  a  glass,  when  Mr.  Patterson  proposed  asking  a  bless- 
ing. Dr.  M.  assented,  and  whilst  this  devout  brother  was  saying  a 
somewhat  protracted  grace,  the  Doctor  emptied  the  glass,  and  in 
reply  to  the  rather  blank  look  of  his  brother,  he  remarked,  "  You 
must  watch,  as  well  as  pray."  The  story  of  Dr.  Ralston  soundly 
thrashing  a  bully,  who  was  treating  Dr.  McMillan  rudely,  when  the 
two  were  on  their  way  to  presbytery,  is  well  known.  I  had  the 
story  from  Dr.  Ralston's  son.  About  1825,  a  student,  who  after- 
wards became  an  able  minister,  was  introduced  by  Dr.  Brown  to 
Dr.  McMillan,  with  a  view  of  obtaining  aid  from  a  fund  of  which 
the  latter  had  control.  In  the  course  of  conversation  it  transpired 
that  the  student  was  married,  when  the  doctor,  with  characteristic 
bluntness,  shook  his  head,  saying,  "  Oh  !  the  fellow's  married,  is  he  ? 
Ah  !  I  don't  think  my  fund  will  carry  double."  But  I  believe  after 
all,  .it  did.*  Other  anecdotes  of  our  hero  might  be  added,  but  I 
must  bring  this  already  too  lengthy  discourse  to  a  close. 

The  civil  history  of  our  region,  and  other  things  germaine  to  this 
centenary,  will  be  given  by  other  speakers.  In  these  you  will  be 
able  to  discover  many  things  that  were  hindrances  to  Christian 
work  among  the  pioneers.  The  rival  claims  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia  to  this  region,  and  the  existence  for  many  years  of  two 
governments,  led  to  social  strife,  which  hindered  the  progress  of 
religion.  The  incursions  of  hostil^  Indians  was  also  a  great  hin- 
drance ;  and  the  border  wars  kept  up  such  a  spirit  of  revenge,  as 
was  very  unfavorable  to  piety  and  the  arts  of  peace.  The  Whiskey 
Insurrection,  too,  was  for  a  time  a  hindrance,  and  into  its  excite- 
ments nearly  all  were  drawn.  But  Dr.  McMillan's  influence  did  much 
to  restrain  disorder  and  restore  peace.     The  college  war,  too,  was  a 

*  Dr.  McMillan  solemnized  tbo  marriage  of  Dr.  McElroy,  now  of  New 
York,  to  Miss  Allison  near  Canonsburg.    When  Dr.  McElroy's  attendant, 
Dr.  Oeorge  Junkin,  tendered  a  fee,  Dr.  McMillan  declined  taking  it, 
saying,   •*  No  !  No!  dog  wont  eat  dog." 
C 


34  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

hindrance.  It  was  a  fight  for  union,  which,  like  some  other  fights 
for  union,  widened  the  breach.  But  I  leave  these  details  to  others, 
and  forbear. 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1833  he  had  made  a  very  pleasant  tour, 
visiting  friends  and  former  pupils,  and  returning  homeward,  was 
suddenly  taken  ill  in  Canonsburg,  and  after  a  short  but  severe  ill- 
ness, died  at  the  house  of  his  friend  and  physician,  Dr.  Jonathan 
Leatherman,  on  the  i6th  day  of  November,  1833,  aged  eighty-one 
years  and  five  days.  He  died  in  the  faith,  and  sustained  by  the 
consolations  of  that  Gospel  which  he  had  so  earnestly  proclaimed 
for  nearly  sixty  years. 

"He  being  dead  yet  speaketh."  The  springs  and  rills  of  influ- 
ence for  good  which  he  opened  still  flow  on,  and  have  gathered 
into  broad  and  mighty  rivers,  which  make  glad  the  city  of  our  God. 
The  blessings  from  a  covenant-keeping  God  still  descend  from 
generation  to  generation.  Pigeon  Creek  and  Chartiers  still  exist, 
and  work  effectively  for  Christ.  The  sons  of  Jefferson  do  many  of 
them  still  live  and  labor.  Those  that  are  dead  yet  speak  by  the 
influence  they  have  left  behind.  And  all  over  this  broad  land, 
and  throughout  the  missionary  world,  the  waves  of  blessed  influ- 
ences, set  in  motion  by  John  McMillan,  will  roll  on,  circling 
wider  and  wider,  till  they  shall  at  last  break,  in  sparkling  beauty, 
around  the  Judgment  Throne  ! 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY. 


BY 


REV.  AARON  WILLIAMS,  D.D. 


"    ■■    ■ 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY. 


Showing  to  the  generation  to  come  the  praises  of  the  Lord,  and  hia 
strength,  and  the  wonderful  works  which  he  hath  done." — Psalms 
Ixxviii.  4. 

E  are  aware  of  "the  increasing  interest  which  attaches  itself 
to  the  events  of  early  days  the  farther  we  recede  from 
them.  "Things  which  we  have  heard  and  known" 
ourselves,  do  not  awaken  our  curiosity  like  those  of 
"  which  our  fathers  have  told  us."  There  is  a  commonness  in  pass- 
ing occurrences,  together  with  a  consciousness  that  we  can  readily 
remember  them,  that  leads  us  to  neglect  putting  them  on  record. 
Many  of  the  experiences  of  our  youth  we  should  be  glad  to  recall 
more  accurately  as  we  advance  in  years,  but  they  have  become  almost 
obliterated  from  the  tablets  of  memory.  How  eagerly  do  we  who 
are  growing  old  desiderate  the  memoranda  which  we  ought  to  have 
kept  (but  did  not)  of  what  our  fathers  have  told  us  of  the  occurrences 
of  their  early  days.  Increasing  distance  lends  increasing  enchant- 
ment to  the  view  of  those  old  and  almost  forgotten  events. 

Had  those  old  fathers  of  our  Western  Presbyterianism  been  more 
careful  than  they  were  to  keep  memoranda  of  their  abundant  labors 
and  trials  and  successes ;  had  they  even  cared  to  keep  their  sessional 
records  in  some  more  permanent  form  than  on  loose  sheets  of  paper, 
how  highly  should  we  prize  such  records  to-day.  But  they  are  not 
to  be  found.  None  of  our  oldest  churches  can  produce  their  earliest 
sessional  records,  or  can  tell  us  of  the  date  and  circumstances  of 
their  organization.  The  men  of  that  day  were  too  busy  making 
history  to  find  time  to  ^vrite  it.  It  was  sufficient  for  them  that  their 
record  was  on  high. 
37 


38  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION: 

Besides,  paper  was  scarce  and  costly  in  those  days,  and  blank 
books  were  probably  not  to  be  had,  or  they  were  too  poor  to  buy 
them.  Hence  their  habit  of  writing  in  a  very  small  hand.  They 
had  to  make  the  most  of  the  paper  they  had.  You  that  have  seen 
the  chirography  of  Dr.  McMillan  know  that  it  was  almost  as  fine  as' 
diamond  print,  and  yet  perfectly  clear  and  legible.  In  hearing  him 
preach,  in  my  boyhood,  i  have  often  noticed  (as  I  sat  not  far  from 
his  left  hand)  how  adroitly  he  concealed  his  fully  written  manuscript 
from  the  prejudices  of  his  hearers  between  the  leaves  of  the  small 
black  pocket-Bible,  which  he  always  had  in  his  hand. 

These  centenary  celebrations,  with  which  we  are  becoming  fa- 
miliar, are,  in  part,  an  attempt  to  recover  the  unrecorded  history 
of  the  planting  and  training  of  those  old  churches,  and  to  transmit 
it  to  the  generation  following.  These  are  things  which  none  of  us, 
have  seen  or  known,  but  of  which  our  fathers  have  told  us ;  and  it 
is  well  that  we  should  gather  up,  so  far  as  we  can,  from  these  ances- 
tral recollections,  the  precious  memories  of  the  Lord's  doings  in 
those  days,  that  we  ourselves  may  be  refreshed  and  strengthened  by 
them,  and  may  show  to  the  generation  to  come  the  praises  of  the 
Lord,  and  his  strength,  and  the  wonderful  works  which  he  hath 
done 

It  is  made  my  duty  to  record  the  religious  history  of  the  times 
which  this  Centennial  is  designed  to  commemorate.  And  as  time 
would  fail  to  give  that  history  comprehensively,  I  shall  confine  my- 
self to  that  feature  of  it  which  is  most  characteristic  and  instructive, 
namely,  the  history  of  the  early  revivals. 

The  men  of  those  days  were  "revival  men,"  brought  up  under 
revival  influences,  and  accustomed  to  expect  revival  seasons  as  the 
results  of  faithful  ministerial  and  Christian  labor.  They  believed  in 
uncommon  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  influence,  at  irregu- 
lar intervals,  as  being  the  normal  method  in  which  God  builds  up 
His  kingdom.  They  found  what  were  virtually  revivals  of  religion 
in  the  days  of  Joshua,  of  Samuel,  of  Josiah,  of  Hezekiah,  of  Ezra, 
and  of  John  the  Baptist.  They  found  a  revival  in  the  two  days'  visit 
of  our  Lord  to  Samaria,  when  many  of  the  prejudiced  Samaritans 
believed  on  him,  and  said  to  the  woman,  "  Now  we  believe,  not 
because  of  thy  saying,  but  we  have  heard  him  ourselves,  and 
know  that  this  is  indeed   the  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the  world." 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  39 

And  besides  the  great  Pentecostal  seasons  of  the  Apostles'  days,  they 
found  revivals  under  the  labors  of  IrenaeuS  at  Lyons,  and  of  other 
faithful  martyrs  of  the  early  church,  when,  the  more  severe  the  per- 
secutions, the  more  rapid  and  wonderful  was  the  growth  of  Chris- 
tianity ;  so  that  in  less  than  six  hundred  years  after  Christ,  although 
already  between  thirty  and  fifty  millions  had  suffered  martyrdom, 
yet  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  century  there  were  in  many 
places  of  the  Roman  Empire  thirty  Christians  to  one  Pagan.  We 
read,  that  "in  a.  d.  627,  in  Great  Britain,  King  Edwin,  with  all 
his  nobles  and  a  very  great  multitude  of  people,  believed,  and  were 
baptized  by  the  missionary  Paulinus,  who,  from  morning  till  even- 
ing, was  wholly  engaged  in  catechising  and  baptizing  the  people 
who  came  to  him  in  crowds  from  every  village  and  neighborhood." 
Similar  seasons  were  known  among  the  persecuted  saints  of  the  Al- 
pine valleys.  But  more  especially  were  our  pioneer  ministers  fa- 
miliar with  the  revivals  of  Kilsyth  and  Cambuslang  in  Scotland,  in 
the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  as  well  as  those  in  our  own  coun- 
try under  the  labors  of  Edwards  and  Whitefield,  and  the  Tennents 
and  Blairs  of  New  Jersey  and  Eastern  Pennsylvania.  Fagg's  Manor, 
where  McMillan  was  born  and  received  the  earlier  part  of  his  edu- 
cation, was  a  seat  of  revivals,  having  been  visited  with  a  great  out- 
pouring of  the  spirit  under  the  preaching  of  Whitefield  and  Samuel 
Blair,  a  work  which  carried  its  hallowed  influences  down  to  the  time 
of  John  Blair,  under  whom  McMillan  commenced  his  studies. 
McMillan,  Smith,  and  Dodd — those  "  first  three  "  of  our  worthies — 
were  all  educated  under  revival  influences,  being  graduates  of  the 
College  of  New  Jersey,  at  Princeton — an  institution  born  in  the 
midst  of  revivals,  and  established  for  the  special  purpose  of  training 
up  young  men  for  the  ministry.  The  same  is  true  also  as  to  the 
influences  under  which  were  trained  Power,  Finley,  Marquis,  and 
the  other  ministers  of  that  day,  who  were  the  co-laborers  of  Mc- 
Millan. They  were  all  familiar  with  revival  scenes  and  revival 
preaching. 

So  also  of  the  early  settlers  generally  of  this  country.  They 
came,  most  of  them,  from  the  same  regions  whence  came  these 
early  ministers,  and  were  accustomed  to  the  earnest  preaching  and 
lively  Christian  zeal  which  characterized  the  Presbyterianism  of  that 
day.     Neither  ministers  nor  people  were  Antinomian  in  their  views  or 


40  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

spirit.  They  were  decided  Calvinists,  but  their  Calvinism  was  that 
of  Paul,  who  preached  "Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling,  for  it  is  God  who  worketh  in  you  to  will  and  to  do 
of  his  own  good  pleasure." 

Such  was  the  good  seed  which,  in  the  providence  of  God,  was 
sown  in  this  virgin  soil ;  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  such 
glorious  harvests  as  those  which  we  are  about  to  chronicle  were 
gathered  from  these  fertile  fields. 

In  attempting  to  trace  the  history  of  the  revivals  of  those  days, 
the  very  earliest  of  all  seem  to  have  been  those  which  occurred  in 
the  forts,  or  "blockhouses,"  whither  the  people  were  driven  for 
protection  from  the  incursions  of  the  savage  Indians  who  still  occu- 
pied the  country  north  of  the  Ohio  river.  These  Indian  raids,  while 
they  were  a  source  of  great  trial  and  suffering,  were  at  the  same 
time  a  means  of  grace  to  the  people,  crowded  together  as  they  were 
in  these  blockhouses,  and  with  nothing  to  do  but  keep  watch  against 
the  sudden  attacks  of  their  wily  foes,  while  they  had  ample  time 
for  Christian  conference  and  prayer.  They  humbled  themselves 
before  God,  as  receiving  his  fatherly  chastisement  in  these  trials, 
and  they  earnestly  besought  his  help  in  their  time  of  need.  It 
is  not  surprising  that  God  should  pour  out  his  Spirit  upon  them 
in  these  circumstances. 

The  very  earliest  of  these  revivals  seems  to  have  been  that  which 
took  place  in  Vance's  Fort,  under  the  labors  of  a  pious  layman, 
Joseph  Patterson,  whose  faithful  efforts  in  the  work  of  saving  souls 
were  so  characteristic  of  him  afterwards  when  he  became  a  minister. 
The  Rev.  Joseph  Stevenson  gives  the  following  account  of  this  work 
of  grace,  "It  may  almost  be  said  that  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Western  Pennsylvania  was  born  in  a  revival.  In  1778,  Vance's 
Fort,  into  which  the  families  living  adjacent  had  been  driven  by  the 
Indians,  was  the  scene  of  a  remarkable  work.  There  was  but  one 
pious  man  in  the  fort,  Joseph  Patterson,  a  layman,  an  earnest  devoted 
Christian,  whose  zeal  had  not  waned,  even  amid  the  storms  and  ter- 
rors of  war;  and  during  the  long  days  and  nights  of  their  besiege- 
ment,  he  talked  with  his  careless  associates  of  an  enemy  more  to  be 
dreaded  than  the  Indian,  a  death  more  terrible  than  by  the  scalping- 
knife.  As  they  were  shut  up  within  very  narrow  limits,  his  voice, 
though  directed  to  one  or  two,  could  easily  be  heard  by  the  whole 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  /•/ 

company;  and  thus  his  personal  exhortations  became  public  ad- 
dresses. Deep  seriousness  filled  every  breast,  and  some  twenty  per- 
sons were  there  led  to  Christ.  These  were  a  short  time  subsequently 
formed  into  the  Cross  Creek  Church,  which  built  its  house  of  wor- 
ship near  the  fort,  and  had  as  its  pastor  for  thirty-three  years  one 
of  these  converts,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Marquis."* 

Still  another  of  these  fort  revivals  occurred  about  the  same 
time  in  the  Ten-Mile  neighborhood,  under  the  labors  of  Thad- 
deus  Dodd.  A  blockhouse  had  been  erected  here  in  1774-75, 
and  was   one  of  the  strongest,    as  well  as  the  most  exposed,  of 

♦The  above  account  of  the  "Vance's  Fort  revival  is  given  as  it  is  found 
in  "Sprague's  Annals,"  vol,  IV.,  p.  84,  published  in  1859,  and  repeated  in 
other  publications.  The  Rev.  Joseph  Stevenson,  of  Bellefontaine,  Ohio, 
who  wrote  the  account,  was  the  son-in-law  of  the  pastor.  Rev.  Thomas 
Marquis,  and  has  been  considered  good  authority.  Since  the  delivery, 
however,  of  this,  my  attention  has  been  called  to  a  Historical  Discourse, 
preached  June  24, 1867,  by  Rev.  John  Stockton,  D.D.,  for  nearly  fifty  years 
the  honored  pastor  of  the  Cross  Creek  Church,  in  which  the  correctness 
of  the  account  is  questioned,  so  far  as  the  agency  of  Joseph  Patterson  is 
concerned.  He  says,  "In  these  forts  [Vance's  and  Wells']  social,  and 
afterwards  public  worship,  was  kept  up  for  seven  years,  especially  iu 
summer  and  autumn,  the  seasons  when  the  Indians  were  wont  most 
to  make  their  raids.  And  it  was  a  common  thing  for  men  to  go  to  these 
meetings  armed  with  their  trusty  rifles,  and  to  stand  guard  during  the 
services.  On  the  meetings  held  in  these  forts  the  Holy  Spirit  was  shed 
down.  At  an  early  period,  in  Vance's  fort,  seven  or  eight  persons  were 
hopefully  converted.  Among  these  were  Thomas  Marquis  and  his  wife 
Jane,  whose  eldest  child  was  baptized  by  Rev.  James  Power,  in  1778. 
Mr.  Marquis  subsequently  became  tirst  an  elder,  and  afterwards  the  pas- 
tor of  this  congregation."  All  this  is  confirmatory  of  Mr.  Stevenson'sac- 
count  as  to  the  fact  of  the  revival;  but  Dr.  Stockton  goes  on  to  show 
that  Mr.  Patterson's  removal  to  Cross  Creek  did  not  take  place  until 
the  autumn  of  1779;  whereas  the  call  for  the  pastoral  labors  of  Rev. 
Joseph  Smith,  from  the  united  congregations  of  Cross  Creek  and  Upper 
Buffalo  was  made  out  in  June  of  that  year.  The  revival,  and  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Cross  Creek  congregation,  must,  therefore,  have  taken 
place  previous  to  Mr.  Patterson's  arrival.  He  speaks  of  him,  however, 
as  "an  intelligent  and  ardently  pious  man,  an  active  leader  in  meet- 
ings for  social  worship,  and  afterwards  a  ruling  elder  in  this  church." 
As  these  Indian  raids  continued  after  Mr.  Patterson's  coming,  it  is  no 
doubt  true  that  he  was  employed  in  the  fort,  as  Mr.  Stevenson  relates  ; 
and  the  chief  error  is  in  saying  that  he  was  the  only  pious  man,  and 
that  the  church  of  Cross  Creek  grew  out  of  his  labors.  Mr.  Stevenson 
gave  the  current  tradition,  but  Dr.  Stockton's  statements  are  no  doubt 
correct,     (See  Appendix  A.) 


42  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

these  wooden  fortresses.  The  settlers  were  chiefly  from  New  Jer- 
sey, and  had  come  from  the  very  midst  of  those  wonderful  scenes 
of  revival  which  had  been  witnessed  under  the  labors  of  White- 
field  and  the  Tennents.  They  greatly  rejoiced  when  Mr.  Dodd, 
a  young  minister  from  the  same  region,  came  to  settle  among 
them,  to  share  their  hardships  and  to  care  for  their  souls.  Fort 
Lindley  was  named  from  Demas  Lindley,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
Pilgrims  of  the  Mayflower,  who  was  among  the  first  settlers  on  Ten- 
Mile,  and  afterwards  became  prominent  as  a  citizen  and  a  ruling 
elder  in  the  church.  This  church  seems  to  have  grown  out  of  a 
glorious  revival  of  religion,  which  occurred  in  the  fort  during  one 
of  those  frequent  Indian  raids  which  drove  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  neighborhood  together.  More  than  forty  persons  were  brought 
to  Christ  in  this  revival,  and  thus  there  was  great  joy  in  th6  fort  as 
well  as  in  Heaven.     Mr.  Dodd's  sacrifices  were  rewarded. 

Such  were  some  of  the  * '  little  revivings  which  the  Lord  gave 
His  people  in -their  bondage."  They  were  but  the  beginnings  of 
better  things,  which  were  experienced  a  few  years  later.  In  Mc- 
Millan's charge  there  was  a  remarkable  season  of  the  outpouring 
of  the  spirit,  which  began  in  December,  1781.  It  made  its 
first  appearance  among  a  few  who  met  together  for  sacred  wor- 
ship on  the  morning  of  a  Thanksgiving  Day  which  had  been  ap- 
pointed by  Congress  on  occasion  of  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis 
at  Yorktown.  McMillan  and  his  people  were  patriots,  and  they 
mingled  their  thanksgivings  for  national  blessings  with  earnest 
supplications  for  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  now  so  much 
needed  in  order  to  lift  up  a  standard  against  the  floods  of  infideUty 
and  irreligion  which  had  come  in  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 
While  they  were  yet  speaking,  God  heard  them.  They  were  en- 
couraged to  appoint  other  meetings  for  the  same  purpose  ;  and  the 
favorable  appearances  still  increasing,  they  continued  to  hold 
"Sabbath  night  societies"  (or  prayer  meetings)  for  nearly  two 
years.  It  was  then  usual  to  spend  the  whole  night  in  religious  exer- 
cises. ''  Nor  did  the  time  seem  tedious,"  says  McMillan,  in  his 
letter  to  Dr.  Carnahan,  "for  the  Lord  was  there,  and  His  work 
went  pleasantly  on."  At  the  first  sacramental  season  after  the  work 
began,  forty-five  were  added  to  the  church.  This  time  of  refresh- 
ing continued  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  till  1794,  twelve  years. 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  43 

At  every  sacramental  occasion  during  that  period  numbers  were 
added  to  the  church.  Nor  was  this  work  confined  to  McMillan's 
field.  During  the  winter  of  1 781-2  the  congregations  of  Cross 
Creek  and  Upper  Buffalo,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Smith,  were  visited  in  like  manner  with  reviving  influences.  Here, 
too,  the  "  praying  societies  "  had  much  to  do  with  the  beginning 
and  continuance  of  the  good  work.  Says  the  account,  "During 
the  winter  season,  week  day  and  night  sermons  and  meetings  for 
social  worship  were  frequent,  and  many  were  under  deep  convic- 
tions. The  summer  following  was  remarkable  for  the  increase  of 
the  number  of  the  awakened,  though  most  labored  long  without  re- 
lief.'" In  those  days  revivals  were  not  conducted  on  the  high-pres- 
sure system.  The  Spirit  of  God  often  brooded  long  upon  the  face 
of  the  deep  before  God  said,  "Let  there  be  light;"  and  the  con- 
versions which  took  place  were  generally  such  as  proved  themselves 
to  be  genuine  and  abiding. 

And  yet,  there  is  no  doubt  that  God  would  have  done  more 
speedy  and  mighty  works  of  grace  had  his  people  expected  it.  Judge 
Edgar,  one  of  Mr.  Smith's  elders,  in  a  letter  which  has  been  pre- 
served, laments  that  there  were  so  few  of  God's  people  who  knew 
anything  of  travailing  or  agonizing  for  the  birth  of  souls.  Never- 
theless, it  pleased  God  to  bring  many  out  of  darkness  into  His  mar- 
vellous light,  so  that  about  fifty  in  each  of  those  congregations  were 
added  to  the  church  at  the  fall  communions.  And  the  work  rather 
increased  than  diminished  for  the  ensuing  three  years.  In  1783 
about  one  hundred  were  received  into  the  church  of  Buffalo  at  one 
communion,  and  many  more  were  awakened.  Even  for  six  or  seven 
years  after  the  work  began,  there  was  but  little  apparent  diminution 
in  its  power.  At  Cross  Creek,  in  1787,  a  very  refreshing  commu- 
nion season  was  enjoyed.  After  the  usual  services  on  Monday 
some  hundreds  were  bowed  down  and  silently  weeping,  and  a  {^\{ 
crying  out  in  anguish  of  soul.  When  the  assembly  was  dismissed 
most  of  the  people  remained  on  the  ground,  unwilling  to  depart 
from  scenes  so  hallowed,  and  it  was  not  till  after  dark  that  they 
were  persuaded  to  retire,  with  a  promise  of  meeting  there  again  the 
next  morning.  Tuesday  was  indeed  a  solemn  day,  and  was  spent 
chiefly  in  exhortations  and  prayers  by  the  Revs.  Messrs.  Smith, 


44  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

Dodd,  and  Cornwell.  Another  harvest  of  souls  was  the  result,  up- 
wards of  fifty  being  gathered  in  at  the  next  communion. 

Other  neighboring  congregations  also  shared  in  these  gracious 
visitations,  particularly  Bethel  and  Lebanon,  under  the  ministry  of 
the  Rev.  John  Clark ;  Ten-Mile,  under  the  Rev.  Thaddeus  Dodd ;' 
and  King's  Creek  and  Mill  Creek,  then  vacant,  but  with  praying 
societies  kept  up  by  faithful  laymen.  During  these  several  revivals, 
it  is  said  that  more  than  a  thousand  persons  were  brought  into  the 
kingdom  of  Christ — a  remarkably  large  number  when  we  consider 
the  sparseness  of  the  population  and  the  hindrances  in  the  way. 

Again,  in  1795,  the  congregation  of  Chartiers,  says  Mr.  McMillan, 
enjoyed  another  remarkable  season  of  the  outpourings  of  God's 
Spirit,  which,  though  not  so  extensive  or  long  continued  as  the 
previous  revivals,  yet  resulted  in  the  gathering  of  about  fifty  into 
the  church,  several  of  whom  were  students  in  the  Academy  in 
Canonsburg,  and  afterwards  became  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  In 
the  spring  of  1799,  the  Lord  again  revived  His  work  in  this  con- 
gregation. Many  were  at  once  awakened,  including  again  several 
students  in  the  Academy,  and  about  sixty  joined  the  church.  "  This 
revival,"  says  Dr.  McMillan,  "as  well  as  that  of  1795,  was  carried 
on  without  much  external  appearance,  except  a  solemn  attention 
and  silent  weeping  under  the  preaching  of  the  word."  Thus  far, 
in  all  these  revivals,  the  work  was  rather  of  a  quiet  sort,  with  none 
of  those  remarkable  ' '  bodily  exercises ' '  which  appeared  afterwards. 

In  1798,  the  year  previous  to  the  work  just  described  at  Chartiers, 
the  Lord  poured  out  His  Spirit  on  a  new  settlement  north  of  the  Ohio 
river,  in  Beaver  county.  Pa.,  under  the  labors  of  the  Rev.  Thos.  E. 
Hughes,  who  had  just  commenced  his  ministerial  work,  having  been 
licensed  to  preach  in  October  of  this  year  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio. 
The  showers  of  grace  seem  to  have  begun  to  descend  as  soon  as  he 
entered  this  new  field,  as  they  often  descended  during  his  subsequent 
pastorate  of  more  than  thirty  years  over  this  same  people.  The 
writer  remembers  indistinctly  having  heard  the  tidings  of  a  great 
revival  in  the  later  years  of  Mr.  Hughes'  ministry,  in  which  one 
hundred  persons  were  added  to  the  church ;  and  having  heard  him 
preach  in  his  old  age,  after  he  had  resigned  his  charge,  such  was 
the  unction  and  earnestness  of  manner  which  he  still  retained,  that 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  45 

—^.^-^—^  ^— — ^— ^— — — — — ^— — ^^— .—  ^ 

I  am  not  surprised  at  the  success  which  attended  his  ministry  during 
the  fire  of  his  youth.  In  the  first  revival  to  which  we  refer — that  of 
1 798-9 — the  work  was  very  powerful,  and  in  a  short  space  of  time 
a  considerable  number  were  made  subjects  of  saving  grace,  among 
Whom  were  eighteen  out  of  the  thirty  pupils  then  attending  a  school 
in  that  place.  The  youth  or  children  of  this  school  were  so  deeply 
exercised  that  all  play  and  diversions  were  stopped,  and  the  time 
usually  thus  employed  was  spent  in  religious  reading  or  conversa- 
tion, in  singing  hymns,  or  retiring  into  the  woods  to  pray.  Up- 
wards of  thirty  in  all  were  added  to  the  church  as  the  fruit  of  that 
revival. 

In  1800  the  Rev.  Joseph  Badger,  then  on  his  way  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  his  new  field  of  labor  in  the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  re- 
ports that  he  had  "passed  through  and  near  to  twenty  Presbyterian 
congregations,  where  from  1 798  there  was  a  pretty  general  serious 
awakening." 

Such  were  some  of  the  gracious  visitations  of  God  to  the  churches 
of  this  region  during  their  infancy  and  up  to  the  close  of  the  last  cen- 
tury. They  took  place  under  the  earnest  preaching  of  the  old-fash- 
ioned Calvinistic  gospel,  without  any  startling  novelties  or  extraordi- 
nary means,  but  with  much  prayer  and  faithful  work  on  the  part  of 
ministers  and  people.  There  was  no  dilution  of  the  truth,  no.agency 
of  evangelists,  no  undue  exaggeration  of  the  terrors  of  the  law — noth- 
ing but  the  ordinary  njeans  of  grace,  in  connection  with  special 
seasons  of  prayer,  and  the  semi-annual  communions,  which  were  each 
a  protracted  meeting  of  four  or  five  days.  Seasons  of  coldness  and 
declension  intervened  between  the  seasons  of  revival,  and  were  fruit- 
ful in  the  growth  of  error  and  wickedness.  Floods  of  vanity  and 
carnality,  it  is  said,  appeared  likely  to  carry  all  before  them.  The 
love  of  many  of  God's  people  waxed  cold,  and  the  ministers  were 
discouraged.  Still,  the  means  were  faithfully  used.  The  truly  pious 
kept  up  their  praying  societies,  even  though  but  thinly  attended. 
A  concert  of  prayer  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  every  quarter  of  the 
year,  which  had  been  recommended  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  in 
1796,  was  generally  observed  in  the  churches,  and  was  greatly  in- 
strumental in  staying  the  tide  of  worldliness.  Still,  the  century 
closed  in  the  midst  of  a  season  of  great  spiritual  declension,  and 
great  discouragement  on  the  part  of  God's  people.     Darkness  was 


46  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

upon  the  face  of  the  deep ;  but  the  spirit  of  God  was  moving  upon 
the  waters. 

We  come  now  to  a  new  period  in  this  history.  "  About  the  latter 
end  of  the  year  1801  and  beginning  of  1802,"  we  are  told,  "  there 
was  a  remarkable  attendance  upon  ordinances ;  meetings  for  the 
worship  of  God,  both  public  and  social,  were  generally  crowded, 
and  there  appeared  an  increasing  attention  to  the  word,  and  great 
solemnity  in  the  assemblies.  The  people  of  God  became  more  sensi- 
ble of,  and  affected  with,  the  low  state  of  religion,  and  the  danger- 
ous perishing  condition  of  sinners."  In  the  meantime,  intelligence 
was  coming  through  various  channels  of  a  wonderful  work  of  grace 
which  had  commenced  a  year  or  two  before  in  Kentucky,  under  the 
labors  of  the  famous  and  somewhat  fanatical  James  McGready,  who 
had  been  one  of  McMillan's  pupils,  and  was  well  known  in  this 
region.  This  work  had  also  extended  into  North  Carolina,  and  was 
rapidly  spreading  over  the  adjacent  parts  of  the  South  and  Southwest. 
It  was,  undoubtedly,  for  the  most  part,  a  genuine  work  of  grace, 
though  marred  with  serious  defects  and  extravagances,  which  be- 
came more  and  more  objectionable  as  the  excitement  increased. 
It  was  here  that  those  "  bodily  exercises  "  began  to  be  experienced, 
which  were  considered  so  inexplicable  at  the  time;  and  which, 
under  the  preaching  of  enthusiastic  and  imperfectly  educated  men, 
who  could  not  discriminate  between  a  nervous  epidemic  and  the 
work  of  God's  grace  on  the  soul,  assumed  forms  of  extravagance 
which  they  never  reached  under  the  more  sober  and  judicious  minis- 
ters of  Western  Pennsylvania. 

The  reports  of  this  great  revival  elsewhere  served  greatly  to  en- 
courage the  hopes  of  God's  waiting  people  here,  and  the  expecta- 
tion became  general  that  the  Lord  was  about  to  grant  them  similar 
blessings. 

Such  was  the  state  of  feeling  during  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1802  ;  and  special  tokens  of  the  divine  presence  were  apparent  in 
some  of  the  churches,  especially  at  Cross  Roads  and  Lower  Buffalo — 
the  former  being  one  of  the  charges  of  Elisha  Macurdy,  and  the 
latter  of  James  Hughes.  "But  the  first  extraordinary  manifesta- 
tions of  the  Divine  power  were  made  in  the  congregation  of  Three 
Springs,  part  of  the  charge  of  Elisha  Macurdy,  at  the  time  of  the 
administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  on  the  fourth  Sabbath  of  Sep- 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  47 


tember,  1802."  Some  weeks  before  this  communion  season,  an 
agreement  had  been  made  among  the  pious  to  spend  a  certain  time, 
about  sun -setting  on  each  Thursday,  in  secret  prayer,  each  alone,  to 
plead  with  God  for  the  presence  of  his  Holy  Spirit  on  that  occasion. 
On  the  Sabbath  preceding  the  communion  it  was  evident  that  God 
was  already  hearing  their  prayers.  At  the  close  of  the  afternoon 
service,  when  the  congregation  was  dismissed,  about  fifty  persons 
remained  upon  the  ground,  unwilling  to  go  away,  and  spent  most 
of  the  night  in  social  worship.  On  the  Thursday  following,  which 
was  the  usual  "  fast  day  "  before  the  sacrament,  after  the  usual  ser- 
vice, a  prayer  meeting  was  appointed  in  the  evening  ;  and  before 
worship  began,  two  young  women  (one  of  whom  is  still  living), 
who  had  retired  to  the  woods  to  pray,  fell  to  the  ground,  unable  to 
bear  up  any  longer  under  the  distressing  anguish  of  a  wounded  spirit. 
Others  were  soon  similarly  affected,  and  most  of  the  time  from  that 
until  Saturday  afternoon  was  spent  in  conversing  with  the  distressed 
in  mind.  Their  general  complaint  was  a  sense  of  guilt,  especially 
in  rejecting  Christ ;  hardness  of  heart,  and  inability  to  help  them- 
selves ;  while  all  acknowledged  the  justice  of  God  in  their  condem- 
nation. None  as  yet  had  found  peace.  Most  of  Saturday  night 
was  spent  in  social  worship.  And  when  the  congregation  was  dis- 
missed on  Monday,  some  hundreds  remained,  and  could  not  be  per- 
suaded to  leave.  All  the  following  night  was  spent  in  social  exer- 
cises, and  about  the  break  of  day  six  persons  expressed  a  hope  of 
having  obtained  an  interest  in  Christ.  The  assembly  dispersed  a 
little  before  noon  on  Tuesday. 

On  the  Thursday  following,  at  Cross  Roads,  it  being  the  day  of 
their  monthly  prayer  meeting,  there  was  also  a  time  of  God's  power; 
many  were  awakened ;  and  here  also  the  whole  of  the  following 
night  was  spent  in  religious  exercises.  Such  was  the  beginning  of 
the  work  in  Macurdy's  two  congregations.  A  few  days  after,  on 
Tuesday,  the  5th  of  October,  it  being  the  day  of  concert  prayer, 
the  Lord  also  appeared  by  the  powerful  operation  of  the  Spirit  in 
the  congregation  of  Cross  Creek,  the  charge  of  Thos.  Marquis.  The 
people  seemed  unwilling  to  leave,  when  dismissed ;  and  a  few  words 
from  one  of  the  elders  to  the  young  people  standing  about  the  door 
caused  them  all  to  dissolve  in  tears.  The  congregation  re-assem- 
bled, and  most  of  the  night  was  spent  in  prayer,  conversation,  and 


48  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

praise.  How  different  this  from  the  way  in  which  many  of  our 
young  people  now  spend  the  time  together  until  "the  wee  small 
hours !" 

On  the  Sabbath  following,  being  the  loth  of  October,  the  Lord's 
Supper  was  administered  at  Raccoon,  the  charge  of  Rev.  Joseph 
Patterson,  formerly  the  '' layman"  at  Vance's  Fort.  After  the 
usual  services  connected  with  the  communion,  social  worship  and 
preaching  were  continued  through  the  night ;  and  the  house  being 
too  small  to  contain  all  who  were  present,  services  were  also  held 
at  the  tent,  many  new  awakenings  continuing  to  take  place.  On 
Monday,  in  connection  with  the  usual  public  worship,  many  more 
were  made  to  cry  out  in  agony  of  soul,  unable  to  sit  or  stand. 
Some  who  had  been  notorious  for  their  wickedness  were  stricken 
down  and  constrained  to  cry  out  in  anguish,  "Undone!  undone  ! 
fot  ever  undone  !" 

On  the  last  Sabbath  of  October  the  Lord's  Supper  was  adminis- 
tered at  Cross  Roads.  A  great  multitude  of  people  collected,  many 
from  a  distance,  with  wagons  and  provisions,  prepared  to  remain 
during  the  whole  of  the  solemnity.  There  was  much  rain  and  snow, 
yet  most  of  the  people  remained  together  until  Tuesday  morning. 
Nine  ministers  were  present.  The  house  could  not  hold  half  the 
people,  and  services  were  held  at  the  same  time  both  in  the  house 
and  in  the  tent.  Prayers  and  exhortations  were  continued  all  night 
in  the  house,  except  at  short  intervals,  when  a  speaker's  voice  could 
not  be  heard  for  the  cries  and  groans  of  the  distressed.  On  Mon- 
day three  ministers  preached  in  different  places  at  the  same  time. 
After  public  worship  was  concluded,  and  the  people  were  preparing 
to  remove,  the  scene  was  very  affecting.  The  house  was  thronged 
full,  and  when  some  of  those  without  were  about  to  go  away,  they 
found  that  part  of  their  families  were  in  the  house,  and  some  of  them 
lying  in  distress,  unable  to  remove.  Some  went  away,  but  the 
greater  part  remained.  The  work  became  more  powerful  than  be- 
fore, and  numbers  who  had  prepared  to  go  were  constrained  to  stay. 
The  exercises  continued  throughout  the  whole  night.  Many  of  the 
young  people  were  remarkably  exercised,  and  frequently  addressed 
others  about  the  perishing  condition  they  were  in — the"  glories  of 
the  Saviour — ^the  excellency  and  suitableness  of  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion— and  warned,  invited,  and  pressed  sinners  to  come  to  Christ ; 


J?c^^^€^^^^:^sc>^7^ 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  49 

all  in  a  manner  quite  astonishing  for  their  years.  About  sunrise  the 
people  dispersed. 

An  appointment  was  made  for  the  administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  again,  on  the  second  Sabbath  in  November,  at  Upper  Buf- 
falo, the  charge  of  the  Rev.  John  Anderson.  On  Saturday  preced- 
ing the  communion,  a  greater  concourse  of  people  than  had  ever 
been  seen  before  at  a  meeting  for  divine  worship  in  this  country, 
assembled,  and  formed  an  encampment  in  a  semi-circle  around 
the  front  of  the  tent,  in  a  shady  wood.  Many  had  brought  wagons, 
with  their  families  and  provisions,  with  a  great  number  of  tents. 
It  seems  to  have  been  a  regular  camp  meeting,  such  as  had  already 
begun  to  be  held  in  the  South.  But  these  camp  meetings  grew  out 
of  the  necessities  of  the  case,  there  being  otherwise  no  possibility  of 
providing  accommodations  for  the  multitudes  which  assembled.  On 
this  occasion  fifteen  ministers  were  present,  all  members  of  the  Synod 
of  Pittsburgh,  and  all  taking  part  in  the  various  exercises.  The 
administration  of  the  word  and  ordinances  was  accompanied  with 
an  extraordinary  effusion  of  divine  influences  on  the  hearts  of  the 
hearers.  Some  hundreds  were,  during  the  season,  convicted  of 
their  sin  and  misery.  Preaching,  exhortations,  prayers,  and  praises 
were  continued  alternately  throughout  the  night  in  the  meeting- 
house, which  was  full,  and  part  of  the  night  at  the  tent.  On 
Sabbath,  after  two  "action  sermons"  (as  they  were  called)  had 
been  preached,  one  in  the  house  and  the  other  at  the  tent,  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  administered  at  the  tent  to  about  nine  hundred 
and  sixty  communicants.  The  multitudes  of  non-communicants 
were  addressed  at  the  same  time,  part  in  the  house,  and  part  in  an 
adjacent  grove,  by  several  ministers. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Macurdy  preached,  without  prepara- 
tion, his  famous  "War  Sermon,"  of  which  I  received  an  account 
from  his  own  lips.  The  circumstances  have  often  been  described 
by  others,  and  I  need  only  confirm  their  statements,  especially  that 
given  by  Dr.  Elliot.  Macurdy  undertook  the  duty  at  McMillan's 
request.  He  ascended  a  wagon,  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  with 
fear  and  trembling,  not  knowing  what  to  say.  He  gave  out  a 
hymn  and  offered  a  short  prayer.  He  then  opened  the  Bible,  and 
his  eye  fell  upon  the  second  Psalm,  "Why  do  the  heathen  rage," 
etc.  The  idea  of  insurrection  and  amnesty  occurred  to  him.  The 
D 


so  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


people  were  all  familiar  with  these  ideas  from  the  recent  experiences 
of  the  "Whiskey  Insurrection,"  and  the  terms  of  amnesty  offered 
by  the  Government.  He  startled  them  by  announcing  that  he  was 
about  to  preach  on  politics — that  he  had  just  received  a  letter  from 
the  Government  that  an  insurrection  had  taken  place,  that  measures 
had  been  taken  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  and  that  an  amnesty  had 
been  proclaimed  to  all  who  would  return  to  their  duty;  that  some  of 
the  rebels  were  there  present,  and  he  would  now  read  them  the  letter. 
He  then  read  the  second  Psalm,  and  proceeded  to  apply  it  to  the 
condition  of  sinners  as  rebels  against  the  government  of  God,  and  to 
announce  the  terms  of  amnesty  offered  them  in  Christ.  "Kiss  ye 
the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry,  and  ye  perish,"  etc.  The  spirit  gave  him 
utterance,  and  a  powerful  impression  was  produced.  Many  fell 
prostrate  to  the  ground,  crying  out  in  anguish  that  they  had  been 
insurgents  against  God.  "  The  scene,"  said  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hunt, 
who  was  in  the  wagon  with  him,  "appeared  to  me  like  the  close  of 
a  battle  in  which  every  tenth  man  had  been  fatally  wounded. ' '  Many 
of  these  prostrate  ones  soon  became  reconciled,  and  found  peace 
with  God. 

On  Monday  the  whole  assembly  was  addressed  by  one  speaker 
from  the  tent.  They  were  composed,  solemn,  and  attentive  during 
the  time  of  public  worship ;  but  after  the  blessing  was  pronounced, 
many  were  struck  down  in  all  parts  of  the  congregation,  and  many 
more  sat  still,  silently  weeping  over  their  miserable  state  as  sinners 
exposed  to  eternal  wrath.  Many  of  God's  dear  children  were  filled 
with  peace  in  believing.  The  exercises  were  continued  until  after 
sunrise  on  Tuesday  morning,  when  the  assembly  was  solemnly  dis- 
missed, and  began  with  apparent  reluctance  to  prepare  to  disperse. 
After  some  time  the  most  removed,  except  the  people  of  the  con- 
gregation, who  still  tarried,  lingering  at  the  place  where  so  much  of 
God's  power  had  been  manifested  to  their  eyes  and  in  their  con- 
sciences. Numbers  who  had  gone  home  to  provide  refreshments  for 
their  friends  returned.  Still  they  could  not  part.  All  again  col- 
lected in  the  meeting-house,  where  this  day  also  was  spent  till 
evening,  in  preaching,  exhortation,  and  prayer.  The  exercise  was 
very  powerful,  and  numbers  were  affected  who  appeared  to  be  un- 
moved before. 

Thus  did  this  wonderful  work  continue  to  prevail  and  extend. 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  St 

Meetings  were  held  in  the  various  churches  thrughout  this  region. 
These  were  crowded  with  people  from  all  the  country  around,  to 
the  distance  of  nearly  a  hundred  miles.  From  the  time  of  the 
administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  at  Three  Springs,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1802,  the  work  continued  to  extend  for  several  months.  Nearly 
all  the  churches  west  of  the  mountains  were  visited  with  less  or  more 
of  these  divine  influences,  and  although  the  number  of  professed  con- 
versions was  not  so  great  in  proportion  as  in  some  modern  revivals, 
the  impressions  made  were  more  deep  and  lasting,  and  the  fruits 
continued  to  be  gathered  in  at  successive  communion  seasons  for 
years  to  come.  Our  fathers  made  more  of  what  they  called  the 
'•  law  work  "  than  many  do  now.  Their  great  labor  was  to  bring 
sinners  to  feel  that  they  were  /osf,  and  they  were  not  in  haste  to 
bring  them  up  from  these  depths,  believing  that  He  who  came  to 
seek  and  save  the  lost  would  not  leave  them  to  perish  in  the  deep 
waters.  And  yet  they  did  not  fail  always  to  point  them  to  Christ 
as  the  great  deliverer.  They  were,  however,  less  anxious  to  count 
numbers  than  to  save  souls.  And  the  permanent  good  fruits  of  these 
revivals  attest  the  wisdom  of  those  who  labored  in  them. 

In  the  condensed  account  which  I  have  thus  given  of  the  great 
revival  of  1802-3,  no  particular  notice  has  been  taken  of  one  of  its 
remarkable  peculiarities,  which  in  the  parlance  of  our  fathers,  gave 
name  to  it  as  the  "  falling  work." 

Our  history  would  not  be  complete  without  some  account  of  this 
singular  feature  of  the  work,  which,  though  a  frequent  accompani- 
ment, was  really  no  essential  part  of  the  work  itself.  That  the  body 
should  be  affected  by  any  strong  mental  emotion,  was  nothing  new 
or  strange.  That  religious  emotion,  especially  such  as  is  awakened 
by  a  vivid  apprehension  of  the  great  verities  of  the  Christian  faith, 
should  express  itself  in  irrepressible  outcries,  and  even  in  fainting 
and  swooning  away,  was  only  what  had  often  been  witnessed  before 
in  seasons  of  revival.  It  was  so  in  the  great  revival  of  Cambuslang, 
m  Scotland,  in  1742,  and  in  the  simultaneous  work  of  grace  in  New 
Jersey  and  elsewhere  under  the  labors  of  Whitefield  and  the  Tennents. 
In  Whitefield's  account  of  this  latter  work,  although  at  first  he  look- 
ed upon  it  with  suspicion — saying  of  it  "  Satan  begins  to  cast  some 
into  fits," — yet  afterwards,  when  he  had  seen  how  the  Spirit  of  God 
was  working  on  the  hearts  of  many  of  its  subjects,  he  speaks  of  the 


52  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

"amazing  manifestations  of  distress  "  without  disapprobation.  Of 
the  work  at  Fagg's  Manor  he  says,  "Some  were  struck  as  pale 
as  death,  others  lying  on  the  ground,  others  wringing  their  hands, 
others  sinking  into  the  arms  of  friends,"  etc. ;  while  of  himself  on 
one  of  these  occasions,  he  says:. "After  I  had  finished  my  last 
discourse,  I  was  so  overpowered  with  a  sense  of  God's  love,  that  it 
almost  took  away  my  life." 

The  traditions  of  this  work  at  Fagg's  Manor  were  yet  fresh  when 
McMillan  was  a  student  there,  and  the  great  work  in  Kentucky  and 
North  Carolina  was  still  in  progress  when  the  revival  of  1802-3 
commenced  here.  There  the  "bodily  exercises"  were  much  more 
marked  than  elsewhere,  and  ultimately  assumed  the  form  of  jerking, 
jumping,  barking,  etc.,  not  unlike  the  extravagances  of  the  Middle 
Ages  in  Europe.  Both  history  and  physiology  prove  that  such  ex- 
citements are  epidemical ;  and  it  is  not  surprising  that,  along  with 
the  intelligence  that  reached  our  fathers  respecting  the  great  work 
of  grace  in  the  West  and  South,  and  which  was  one  of  the  means  of 
kindling  up  the  spirit  of  revival  among  them,  the  reports  of  these 
strange  bodily  accompaniments  of  the  work  should  have  awakened 
an  expectation  of  something  similar  here  ;  and  the  expectation  itself, 
according  to  the  laws  of  mental  physiology,  was  enough  to  induce 
the  effects  anticipated.  These  physical  laws  were  not  then  well  un- 
derstood, and  there  has  always  been  a  disposition  among  men  to 
think  that  "the  Kingdom  of  God  cometh  with  observation." 
Bodily  affections,  such  as  crying  out,  swooning,  etc.,  are  taken  as 
evidence  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  although  there  is  no  neces- 
sary connection  between  them;  and  the  excitement  produced. by 
these  outward  manifestations,  no  doubt,  has  served  to  arrest  atten- 
tion and  thus  to  prepare  the  minds  of  many  to  be  impressed  by 
divine  truth  who  might  otherwise  have  remained  unaffected. 

At  an  early  stage  of  the  great  revival  here,  these  bodily  exercises  be- 
gan to  show  themselves.  "  It  was  no  unusual  thing,"  says  McMillan, 
"to  see  persons  so  entirely  deprived  of  bodily  strength  that  they 
would  fall  from  their  seats  or  off  their  feet,  and  be  as  unable  to  help 
themselves  as  a  new-born  child."  Dr.  Anderson  says,  "There 
was,  in  some  cases  gradually,  and  in  others  instantly,  a  total  loss  of 
bodily  strength,  so  that  they  fell  to  the  ground,  like  Saul  of  Tarsus, 
and  with  oppression  of  the   heart  and  lungs,  with  suspension  of 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  53 

breath,  with  sobs  and  loud  cries."  The  subjects  of  these  affections 
retained  the  use  of  their  faculties,  even  during  the  paroxysms,  in 
full  vigor.  They  had  a  clear  perception  of  all  that  was  said  and 
done  around  them,  even  while  they  lay  apparently  in  a  state  of  sus- 
pended animation.  Their  mental  exercises  were  generally  highly 
intensive.  Their  convictions  of  guilt  and  danger  were,  for  the 
most  part,  very  pungent,  causing  them  to  utter  agonizing  cries  for 
mercy.  And  when  they  obtained  deliverance  through  Christ,  they 
were  often  filled  with  love,  admiration,  and  joy.  Robert  Johnston, 
who  saw  much  of  the  work  as  it  appeared  in  his  own  congregation 
of  Scrubgrass,  says,  * '  I  have  seen  men  and  women  in  solemn  atti- 
tude, pondering  the  truths  which  were  presented,  fall  in  a  moment 
from  their  seats,  or  off  their  feet,  as  helpless  as  though  they  had 
been  shot,  and  lie  from  ten  to  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  or  longer, 
as  motionless  as  a  person  in  a  sound  sleep.  At  other  times  the 
whole  frame  would  be  thrown  into  a  state  of  agitation,  as,  seemingly, 
to  endanger  the  safety  of  the  subject ;  and  yet,  in  a  moment  this 
agitation  would  cease,  and  the  persons  arise  in  the  full  possession 
of  all  their  bodily  powers,  and  take  their  seats,  composed  and 
solemn,  without  the  least  sensation  of  pain  or  uneasiness."  "Nor 
was  there  that  kind  of  uniformity  in  the  occurrence  of  these  dif- 
ferent effects  on  the  body,  as  to  allow  them  to  be  ascribed  to  cor- 
responding exercises  of  the  mind.  Some  have  been  agitated  in 
body  under  pleasing  exercises  of  the  mind,  and  others  have  lain 
motionless  under  the  anguish  of  a  wounded  spirit.  Some  were 
under  deep  and  pungent  convictions  for  weeks  before  they  felt  any 
effects  on  the  body,  while  some  passed  through  the  whole  course  of 
awakening  and  conviction,  and  became  hopefully  pious,  who  never 
felt  any  symptoms  of  bodily  agitation."  Professors  of  religion  were 
also  as  likely  to  be  affected  as  others.  Persons  who  had  long  been 
members  of  the  church,  and  even  ministers,  in  some  instances,  were 
similarly  affected.  The  falling  took  place,  likewise,  on  all  occa- 
sions, most  generally,  however,  at  the  public  meetings.  Yet  in- 
stances occurred  at  family  prayer,  in  solitude,  and  even  in  merry 
company,  or  during  the  prosecution  of  ordinary  business. 

It  was  not  the  character  of  the  preaching  that  induced  these 
effects.  The  Rev.  George  M.  Scott,  of  Mill  Creek,  says,  **  When 
the  bodily  exercise  first  appeared,  I  considered  the  whole  to  be  a 


S4  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

delusion.  I  supposed  these  excitements  were  produced  by  preach- 
ers thundering  the  terrors  of  the  law  ;  and  I  thought  I  could  check 
it  by  preaching  the  invitations  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  way  of  sal- 
vation through  Christ ;  but  I  soon  found  that  instead  of  stopping 
the  work,  this  kind  of  preaching  only  increased  it."  But  while  the 
bodily  affection  seems  to  have  been  involuntary  and  uncontrollable, 
the  outcries  and  moanings  which  sometimes  accompanied  it,  could 
be  suppressed.  Thus  Mr.  Johnston,  in  his  account,  further  says  that, 
at  an  early  period  of  the  work  in  his  church,  he  urged  his  people 
to  guard  against  any  disorder  of  this  kind.  This  had  the  desired 
effect.  "  I  have  preached,"  he  says,  "  to  a  crowded  assembly,  when 
more  than  half  the  people  were  lying  helpless  before  me,  during  a 
greater  part  of  the  service,  without  the  least  noise  or  disturbance  of 
any  kind."  Some  of  the  members  of  the  Synod  of  Erie,  now  pre- 
sent, may  remember  a  statement  which  was  made  in  a  religious  con- 
ference at  our  meeting  in  Greenville,  in  1872,  by  a  venerable 
elder,  '  Father  Stinson,'  who,  among  other  reminiscences  of  those 
early  days,  said,  that  during  the  prevalence  of  the  celebrated  fall- 
ing work,  four  young  men  determined  to  go  one  evening  to  the 
place  of  meeting,  and  to  show  that  they  could  not  be  influenced  by 
the  prevailing  excitement.  They  rode  boldly  up  and  entered  the 
meeting.  They  listened  quietly 'to  the  solemn  sermon,  and  wit- 
nessed the  falling  of  some  in  the  assembly.  After  a  while  they  rode 
away  together,  but  had  not  gone  far  until  one  of  them  cried  out, 
"  O,  I  am  ruining  my  soul !  "  The  others  all  responded  with  the 
same  feeling,  and  they  went  back  to  the  meeting,  yielded  to  its 
influences,  and  all  became  Christian  men,  and  two  of  them  minis- 
ters of  the  Gospel.  These  notices  may  suffice  to  give  some  idea  of 
the  character  of  the  work.     (See  Appendix  B.) 

When  it  first  appeared  our  fathers  knew  not  how  to  treat  it.  They 
saw  that  generally  a  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  connected  with  it, 
and  they  were  afraid  to  give  a  wrong  touch  to  the  ark.  As  Ma- 
curdy  says,  "There  it  was,  and  we  could  do  nothing  with  it." 
They  warned  the  people,  however,  against  supposing  it  to  be  any 
sign  of  grace ;  and  in  their  wisdom  they  held  a  firm  check  upon  the 
tendency  to  such  tumultuous  excitements  and  extravagances  as  were 
witnessed  in  Kentucky.  Some  good  people,  especially  among  our 
Seceder  brethren,  thought  it  a  work  of  the  devil;  and,  as  in  duty 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  ^5 

bound,  preached  and  wrote  against  it.  In  reply,  Dr.  Ralston's 
vigorous  pamphlet,  commonly  known  as  "  The  Currycomb,"  was 
called  forth. 

As  to  the  causes  of  these  bodily  exercises  we  are  perhaps  more 
favorably  situated  for  forming  a  correct  judgment  than  those  who 
witnessed  them.  These  phenomena  then  bordered  on  the  marvel- 
lous, and  the  religious  experience  of  very  many  of  the  subjects  was 
so  unquestionably  genuine  that  many  were  disposed  to  regard  both 
the  outward  and  inward  parts  of  the  work  as  alike  from  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  calmer  judgment,  however,  of  those  who  have  since 
investigated  the  subject  in  the  light  of  history,  and  of  better  scienti- 
fic acquaintance  with  the  laws  of  the  animal  economy,  and  of  the 
reciprocal  influence  of  the  mind  and  the  nervous  system,  has  led  all 
judicious  men  to  the  conclusion  that  these  bodily  exercises  were  alto- 
gether the  result  of  natural  causes,  and  were  only  an  incidental  ac- 
companiment of  a  true  work  of  grace  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Such  are  the  opinions  expressed  by  the  venerable  Dr.  Baxter,  of 
Virginia,  who  witnessed  much  of  the  work ;  also  by  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander,  Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  Dr.  Joseph  H.  Jones,  and  many 
others,  including  physicians  and  physiologists,  who  were  competent 
and  impartial  judges  of  such  matters.  We  have  not  time  to  quote 
their  testimonies.* 

*  Dr.  Baxter,  ia  a  letter  originally  published  in  the  Watchman  of 
the  South,  and  copied  into  the  Presbyterian  Advocate  of  March  II, 
1840,  repeatedly  speaks  of  these  exercises  as  a  "disease,"  and  one  that 
"seemed  to  be  conveyed  by  a  mysterious  infection."  Of  the  work  as 
he  saw  it  in  Kentucky  and  in  the  valley  of  Virginia,  he  says  that  "in  a 
great  variety  of  cases  the  exercise  was  convulsive  and  turbulent  in  a 
high  degree;  and  although  this  exercise  was  unfavorable  to  composed 
thoughtfulness  at  the  time,  yet  when  the  paroxysm  had  subsided,  the 
reason,  intelligence,  or  health  of  the  subject  did  not  appear  to  be  at  all 
impaired."  He  says  further,  "  At  the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking, 
although  some  of  the  subjects  of  the  exercise  were  serious  people,  yet  a 
large  proportion  of  its  subjects  showed  no  religious  feelings  at  all." 
And  he  gives  an  instance  where  "the  people  had  met  for  a  common 
frolic,  and  when  the  music  and  dancing  began,  the  jerking  exercise  also 
broke  out  amongst  them  and  produced  the  greatest  alarm.  The  comi- 
pany  dispersed  with  very  little  ceremony.' 

On  another  occasion,"  two  men  at  the  court-house  had  quarrelled  and 
fought,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  scuffle  one  of  them  was  taken  with  the 
jerks,  which  soon  parted  the  combatants."    Again  he  says,  "I  was  one 


}b  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


As  to  the  character  of  the  ministry  of  those  days,  whose  labors 
God  so  greatly  blessed,  much  has  been  written,  and  we  shall  learn 

day  traveling  with  an  old  acquaintance  who  had  been  for  some  time  sub- 
ject to  this  exercise.  He  was  a  moral  man,  but  not  a  professor  of  reli- 
gion. The  disease  came  upon  him  whilst  on  the  road ;  he  threw  himself 
from  his  horse,  rolled  and  tossed  on  the  ground  for  some  minutes,  and 
then  arose  in  full  health  and  vigor,  and  we  pursued  our  journey." 

Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  in  his  work  on  "Religious  Experience," 
says,  "  In  those  remarkable  bodily  affections,  called  the  jerks,  which 
appeared  some  years  ago  in  religious  meetings,  the  nervous  irregularity 
was  commonly  produced  by  the  sight  of  other  persons  thus  affected; 
and  if  in  some  instances,  without  the  sight,  yet  by  having  the  imagina- 
tion strongly  impressed  by  hearing  of  such  things.  It  is  a  fact,  as  un- 
doubted as  it  is  remarkable,  that  as  this  bodily  affection  assumed  a  great 
variety  of  appearances  in  different  places,  nothing  was  more  common 
than  for  a  new  species  of  the  exercise,  as  it  was  called,  to  be  imported 
from  another  part  of  the  country,  by  one  or  a  few  individuals.  This 
contagion  of  nervous  excitement  is  not  unparalleled,"  etc. 

Dr.  Joseph H.  Jones,  in  his  work  on  "Man,  Moral  and  Physical,"  at- 
tributes these  bodily  exercises  to  the  influence  of  "morbid  imitative 
sympathy,  and  of  imagination  on  the  nervous  system.  He  says,  "They 
were  occasioned  doubtless,  in  part,  by  an  undue  excitement  of  the  ani- 
mal feelings."  "  One  remarkable  feature  of  these  bodily  affections,  was, 
that  the  very  apprehension  of  an  attack  would  often  bring  it  on,  in 
spite  of  all  precautions  or  efforts  of  the  will  to  prevent  it " — of  which 
he  adduces  some  remarkable  examples  from  Davidson's  "  History  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Kentucky."  His  discussion  of  the  whole  sub- 
ject is  quite  exhaustive. 

Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  in  his  "  Constitutional  History  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,"  says,  "Though  Edwards  [Jonathan]  neverregarded  these  out- 
cries and  bodily  affections  as  any  evidence  of  true  religious  affections, 
he  was  at  this  time  much  less  sensible  of  the  danger  of  encouraging 
such  manifestations  of  excitement  than  he  afterwards  became.  Nor 
does  he  seem  to  have  been  sufficiently  aware  of  the  nature  and  effects 
of  nervous  disorders,  which  in  times  of  excitement  are  as  infectious  as 
any  form  of  disease  to  which  the  human  system  is  liable ;  "  "  That  such 
bodily  affections  owe  their  origin,  not  to  any  divine  influence,  but  to 
natural  causes,  maj  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  these  latter  are  ade- 
quate to  their  production;"  and  that  "they  have  prevailed  in  all  ages, 
among  pagans,  papists,  and  every  sect  of  fanatics"— "all  propagating 
themselves  by  a  kind  of  infection." 

An  able  article,  by  an  intelligent  Christian  physician,  who  witnessed 
the  phenomena  for  himself,  in  the  Biblical  Repertory  for  1834,  throws 
much  light  on  the  subject. 

Dr.  Carpenter,  in  his  recent  work  on  "Mental  Physiology,"  also  learn- 
edly discusses  the  nature  of  such  bodily  affections. 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  ^7 

much  that  is  profitable  from  the  sketches  which  are  to  be  read  on 
this  occasion.  We  are  not  so  well  acquainted  with  the  lay  helpers 
— both  men  and  women — who  afforded  such  important  aid  to  these 
men  by  their  exemplary  piety,  their  active  co-operation,  and  their 
earnest  prayers.     Let  us  look  at  a  few  of  these. 

As  specimens  of  the  eldership  in  those  early  churches,  the  name 
of  Philip  Jackson,  Macurdy's  "  praying  elder,"  is  perhaps  best 
Vnown.  We  find  a  sketch  of  him  in  Elliott's  "  Life  of  Macurdy," 
which  is  too  long  to  quote,  showing  him  to  have  been  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  the  bounds  of  the  Cross  Roads  (now  Florence) 
congregation ;  converted  under  the  preaching  of  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Smith ;  made  an  elder  in  1 786  ;  with  little  education,  but  of  strong 
common  sense,  and  great  energy  of  character ;  the  right-hand  man 
and  bosom  friend  of  his  pastor,  Elisha  Macurdy  ;  a  man  abounding 
in  prayer,  always  ready  to  speak  to  men  about  their  souls,  often 
retiring  with  his  pastor  to  the  woods  to  pray — once  for  the  conver- 
sion of  his  own  son  (a  prayer  that  was  heard),  but  mostly  to  wrestle 
with  God  for  the  revival  of  his  work.  When  his  pastor  suggests,  at 
a  prayer  meeting,  the  propriety  of  a  special  concert  of  secret 
prayer  on  Thursday  evenings, •  Philip  starts  up  and  says,  "Take 
the  vote  !  take  the  vote  !  "  And,  on  another  occasion,  he  is  honest 
enough  to  pray  in  the  presence  of  his  pastor,  who  had  recently 
asked  a  weak  brother  to  preach,  that  the  Lord  would  keep  the 
pastor  from  the  sin  of  inviting  ministers  to  preach,  merely  out  of 
compliment  to  them.  Once  he  accompanied  Mr.  Macurdy  in  one 
of  the  missionary  tours  on  which  he  had  been  sent  to  the  destitute 
settlements  up  along  the  lake  shore  ;  and  besides  other  assistance  in 
the  work  of  organizing  churches,  he  was  greatly  instrumental  in 
bringing  into  the  church  their  kind  hosts,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judah 
Colt,  with  whom  he  sat  up  most  of  a  night,  talking  with  them  about 
the  state  of  their  souls.  Mr.  Colt  erected  his  family  altar  (on  which 
the  daily  offerings  were  kept  up  by  his  wife  in  his  absence),  and  has 
left  a  fragrant  memory  behind  him  as  a  liberal  patron  of  the 
church's  enterprises,  and  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  munificent 
benefactors  of  our  own  Theological  Seminary.  This  tribute  we  owe 
to  Philip  Jackson. 

Judge  James  Edgar  is  another  type  of  elder  belonging  to  the 
church  of  Cross  Creek.     In  1779,  he  drew  up  a  call  for  the  minis- 


58  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

terial  labors  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Smith,  from  the  united  congrega- 
tions of  Buffalo  and  Cross  Creek,  which  is  a  model  document,  very 
different  from  the  stereotyped  form  now  in  use.  His  name  is  most 
familiarly  known  in  connection  with  the  Whiskey  Insurrection, 
which  he  earnestly  opposed.  Judge  Brackenridge  says  of  him, 
though  not  appreciatingly,  "  His  head  was  prematurely  hoary  with 
prayer  and  fasting  and  religious  exercises,  his  face  thin  and  puri- 
tanical like  the  old  Republicans  in  the  Long  Parliament  of  England. 
He  was  a  man  of  sense  and  not  destitute  of  eloquence."  Dr. 
Carnahan  says,  "This  truly  great  and  good  man,  little  known  be- 
yond the  precincts  of  Washington  county,  had  removed  to  Western 
Pennsylvania  at  an  early  day.  He  had  a  good  English  education, 
and  had  improved  his  mind  by  reading  and  reflection,  so  that,  in 
theological  and  political  knowledge  he  was  superior  to  many  pro- 
fessional men.  Yet  he  lived  in  retirement  on  his  farm,  except  when 
the  voice  of  his  neighbors  called  him  forth  to  serve  the  Church  or 
the  State.  He  was  one  of  the  associate  judges  of  Washington 
county.  I  heard  him,  on  Monday  after  a  sacramental  occasion, 
address  an  assembly  of  two  thousand  people,  on  the  subject  of  the 
insurrection,  with  a  clearness  of  acgument,  a  solemnity  of  manner, 
and  a  tenderness  of  Christian  eloquence,  which  reached  the  under- 
standing and  penetrated  the  heart  of  every  hearer.  The  consequence 
was  that  very  few  in  his  neighborhood  were  concerned  in  these  law- 
less riots." 

Still  another  of  those  elders,  "  who  through  faith  obtained  a  good 
report,"  was  "Father"  Robert  Campbell,  of  the  church  of 
Donegal,  now  in  the  Presbytery  of  Blairsville.  He  loved  com- 
munion seasons,  and  besides  attending  those  of  his  own  church, 
with  all  the  accompanying  exercises  of  four  or  five  days,  he  was 
found  at  the  communions  of  neighboring  churches,  even  when,  as 
he  once  said,  "  in  order  to  do-so,  he  had  to  fight  the  devil  and  a 
buckwheat  field  ready  to  be  harvested,  and  at  last  only  gained  the 
victory  by  running  away  from  both."  Before  the  pastor's  arrival 
on  such  occasions,  he  would  not  allow  the  people  either  inside  or 
outside  of  the  house  to  be  unemployed.  He  would  sing  or  pray,  or 
call  on  some  one  else  to  do  so,  generally  dropping  a  weighty 
thought,  pungent  rert^ark,  or  brief  exhortation.  He  seldom  spoke 
five  sentences  at  a  time.     His  very  soul  would  sing.     He  had  no 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  SO 


Stereotyped  prayer,  but  talked  familiarly  though  reverently  to  God, 
as  a  child  pleading  with  a  father.  In  imitation  of  his  Master,  he  went 
about  doing  good.  Rarely  could  he  afford  to  lodge  with  Christians, 
if  godless  families  lived  near.  These  he  went  to  visit,  and  with 
them  read  the  Bible,  talk  and  pray.  If  he  lodged  with  professors, 
his  aim  would  be  to  provoke  them  to  love  and  good  works.  (See 
Appendix  C.) 

Another  honored  name  among  the  eldership  is  that  of  John 
LowRiE,  father  of  the  Hon.  Walter  Lowrie,  formerly  Secretary  of 
our  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  He  was  born  in  the  parish  of 
Lockhutton,  near  Dumfries,  Scotland,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
church  in  that  parish,  as  early  as  1 764.  He  came  to  America  in 
1793,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania. 
In  1802,  the  year  of  the  great  revival,  he  removed  to  Butler  county, 
where  he  and  his  wife,  his  son  Matthew  B.,  and  others  of  his  child- 
ren, were  members  of  the  church  of  Scrubgrass-r-he  being  a  ruling 
elder.  He  was  a  model  elder,  and  was  a  most  efficient  helper  of  his 
pastor,  the  Rev.  Robert  Johnston,  in  the  great  work  of  grace  which 
that  church  enjoyed.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a  "  host  in  himself  in 
the  church,"  although  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  details  of  his  life 
have  not  been  recorded.  One  circumstance  is  mentioned  as  show- 
ing his  firmness  in  standing  by  his  religious  convictions.  As  a 
juror,  he  was  in  a  case  which  the  judge  wished  to  end  on  the  Sab- 
bath ;  but  the  old  gentleman  refused  to  come  into  court  on  that 
day,  and  the  case  had  to  wait  until  Monday,  much  to  the  judge's 
vexation.  His  later  years  were  spent  in  peace,  chiefly  occupied 
with  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  missionary  intelligence.  As 
to  the  honor  due  to  his  memory,  it  is  enough  that  he  was  the  pro- 
genitor of  so  many  worthy  and  distinguished  sons  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

Perhaps  I  may  be  excused  for  alluding  also  to  another  illustrative 
example  of  the  piety  of  those  times,  in  a  kinsman  of  my  own — > 
"Father"  Ebenezer  Coe,  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and 
in  his  old  age  made  his  home  mostly  in  my  father's  house.  Among 
my  earliest  and  most  impressive  recollections,  is  that  of  having  seen 
this  good  old  man  retiring  two  or  three  times  a  day  to  the  garret  of 
the  house,  where  he  spent  some  time  alone.  And  when  my  childish 
curiosity  was  awakened  to  know  the  cause,  I  learned  a  lesson  which 


6o      ^  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

I  ought  to  have  profited  by  more  than  I  have,  when  told  that  he  had 
gone  there  to  pray.  At  other  hours  his  Bible  was  his  constant  com- 
panion. 

Such  were  some  of  the  men  whom  our  fathers  in  the  ministry  had 
for  their  co-laborers  in  the  Lord's  work.  They  were  not  the  sort  of 
men  to  be  driven  by  the  winds  of  a  transient  enthusiasm,  or  to  mis- 
take an  artificial  excitement  for  a  genuine  revival  of  religion.  (See 
Appendix  D.) 

Nor  ought  we  to  omit  a  passing  notice  of  the  women  of  those 
days,  many  of  whom  were  mothers  in  Israel  indeed,  and  such  as 
Paul  commends  as  his  helpers,  and  who  labored  much  with  him  in 
the  Lord.  And  just  here  I  may  further  claim  indulgence  for  men- 
tioning a  fact  which  I  have  learned  respecting  a  sister  of  the  man 
last  named.  She  was  as  patriotic  in  her  way  as  her  brother,  but  she 
served  her  country  at  home  by  doing  what  she  could  for  the  suffer- 
ing soldiers  in  the  field.  Especially  did  she  pray  for  tliem  in  the 
closet.  On  one  occasion,  in  the  very  darkest  period  of  our  country's 
struggle  against  the  mighty  power  of  Britain,  when  men's  hearts 
were  failing  them  for  fear,  it  is  said  that  this  woman  spent  the 
whole  night  in  the  house  top,  wrestling  in  prayer  for  her  country's 
deliverance;  and  when  she  came  down  in  the  morning,  she  ex- 
claimed, with  a  smiling  countenance,  "Never  fear,  the  Americans 
will  yet  surely  prevail."     She  felt  that  God  had  heard  her  prayer. 

Another  instance,  illustrative  of  this  confidence  in  the  power  of 
prayer,  is  that  of  an  old  lady,  whose  name  is  not  given,  who,  when 
the  Rev.  Jos.  Smith,  before  his  removal  to  the  West,  was  lying  ap- 
parently at  the  point  of  death,  and  his  friend  James  Edgar  (whom 
we  have  already  mentioned)  came  to  inquire  about  him — after 
special  prayer  had  been  offered  for  him  at  a  prayer  meeting — replied 
that  Mr.  Smith  was  worse;  "but,"  said  she  (when  she  saw  that  Mr. 
Edgar's  heart  sank  within  him),  "he  will  not  die,  for  the  Lord  hath 
told  me  to-day  that  He  would  raise  him  up  and  send  him  out  to  the 
.West  to  preach  the  Gospel."  This  she  spoke  with  great  confidence, 
and  while  Mr.  Edgar  was  sitting  by  the  bedside  of  the  sick  man,  the 
favorable  crisis  of  the  disease  came,  he  soon  recovered,  and  was  able 
to  follow  his  friend  to  their  new  home  in  the  West,  in  answer  to  the 
call  that  had  been  made  out  for  him. 

And  here,  I  shall  venture  another  well  authenticated  instance  of 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  bz 

a  similar  kind,  in  the  wife  of  that  layman  of  Fort  Vance,  who  after- 
wards became  the  Rev.  Joseph  Patterson.  When,  after  having  gone 
through  a  course  of  study  for  the  ministry,  he  was  about  leaving 
home  to  attend  the  meeting  of  Presbytery,  at  which  he  expected 
to  be  licensed,  he  asked  his  wife  to  pray  for  him,  particularly 
at  the  hour  of  noon  on  the  following  Thursday,  at  which  time 
he  expected  to  be  delivering  his  trial  sermon.  Contrary,  however, 
to  his  expectations,  he  was  called  to  preach  at  the  same  hour  on  the 
preceding  day;  and  when  he  returned  home  after  the  adjournment 
of  Presbytery,  Mrs.  P.  said  to  him,  "I  think  you  did  not  deliver 
your  sermon  on  Thursday,  as  you  expected."  "When  did  I  then?  " 
he  inquired.  "I  think,"  she  seriously  replied,  "from  the  impres- 
sions made  on  my  mind,  that  it  was  at  twelve  o'clock  on  Wednes- 
day." This  fact  is  given  on  the  authority  of  Dr.  Elisha  P.  Swift, 
who  received  it  from  the  lips  of  Father  Patterson  himself.  There 
were  many  such  "  prayer  tests"  in  those  days,  before  Tyndall  was 
born. 

Another  godly  woman  was  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Smith, 
who,  after  having  been  for  more  than  twenty  years  a  most  efficient 
helpmate  to  her  husband,  after  his  death  made  her  home  in  the 
family  of  her  brother-in-law,  the  Rev.  James  Hughes.  Being 
without  any  particular  charge  or  incumbrance,  she  spent  a  great 
part  of  her  time  among  the  poor,  the  afflicted,  and  those  who  were 
concerned  about  the  state  of  their  souls.  A  steady  member  of 
female  praying  societies,  she  did  much  to  unite  Christian  women  of 
different  denominations  in  these  societies,  one  of  which  she  attended 
weekly  until  a  few  days  before  her  death,  when  she  was  too  weak  to 
walk.  She  passed  from  earth  in  her  seventy-eighth  year,  while  the 
family  were  engaged  in  their  morning  devotions,  and  were  singing 
the  hymn  beginning, 

"Ye  fleeting  charms  of  earth,  farewell, 
Your  springs  of  joy  are  dry ; 
My  soul  now  seeks  another  home, 
A  brighter  world  on  high." 

Again,  as  illustrative  of  the  influence  of  the  pious  women  of  those 
days  in  promoting  the  great  revival,  we  find  in  the  Life  of  Macurdy 
this  statement:  That  during  the  summer  of  1802,  just  preceding 
the  commencement  of  the  revival,  a  few  of  the  devout  women  of 


b2  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

« 

the  congregation  niet  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Macurdy  and  formed 
thenaselves  into  a  praying  circle,  with  the  special  object  of  praying 
for  a  revival  of  religion.  In  the  midst  of  the  discouragements  which 
then  surrounded  him,  he  felt  deeply  interested  in  this  movement. 
During  their  first  meeting  at  his  house,  he  took  his  axe,  and  retiring 
to  a  grove  near  by,  cut  down  some  boughs  from  the  trees,  of  which 
he  formed  a  booth.  Then,  within  that  secluded  arbor,  while  these 
pious  women  were  praying  in  the  house,  he  knelt  in  earnest  suppli- 
cation to  the  God  of  Lydia,  and  invoked  his  blessing  upon  them  and 
their  object.  His  heart  was  full.  It  was  an  hour  of  conflict;  on 
one  side  half  a  dozen  timid  women;  on  the  other,  the  legions  of  the 
Prince  of  Darkness.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  passage  in  Isaiah 
XXXV.  4 — "Say  to  them  that  are  of  a  fearful  heart,  be  strong,"  «&c., 
was  forcibly  impressed  upon  his  mind,  and  became  the  foundation  of 
a  discourse  so  powerful  that  McMillan,  who  was  not  given  to  flattery, 
said  to  him,  a/ter  hearing  it,  "It  was  not  you  that  preached  to-day, 
but  God."  How  much  the  women's  prayers  had  to  do  with  the 
choice  of  that  text,  and  the  growth  of  that  sermon  in  his  mind,  it  is 
not  for  us  to  say. 

I  shall  give  but  one  more  instance,  showing  what  stuff  the  women 
of  those  days  were  made  of.  It  is  that  of  the  wife  of  Judge  Mc- 
Dowell, the  elder  at  whose  house  McMillan  lodged  on  his  first  visit 
to  the  West,  in  1775.  Mrs.  McD.,  like  many  other  women  of  that 
day,  was  accustomed  to  keep  up  family  worship  in  her  husband's 
absence.  On  one  occasion  two  prominent  lawyers  from  Washing- 
ton (who  might  be  named)  came  in  the  evening  to  visit  the  Judge 
on  business.  His  wife  informed  them  that  he  was  absent,  but  he 
would  be  home  in  the  morning,  at  the  same  time  inviting  them  to 
her  hospitality,  which  they  accepted.  These  gentlemen  were  both 
known  as  open  sceptics.  The  hour  for  family  worship  having  ar- 
rived, there  came  a  trial  of  her  faith  and  courage.  Her  conscience 
would  not  permit  her  to  omit  the  usual  service,  nor  to  invite  them 
to  retire  before  it  was  attended  to.  She  called  her  family  together 
as  usual,  explained  to  her  guests  the  uniform  custom  of  the  house- 
hold, and  proceeded  to  read  the  Scriptures,  sing  a  psalm,  and  to 
bow  in  prayer  in  the  presence  of  men  who,  though  not  used  to  bow 
before  God,  were  constrained  to  kneel  at  this  domestic  altar,  with 
this  brave  woman  officiating  as  priestess.     It  is  said  of  one  of  these 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  tj 

men  that  from  this  impressive  occasion  he  dated  an  entire  change  in 
his  views  on  the  subject  of  religion. 

These  instances  may  suffice  in  the  way  of  examples  of  the  lay 
piety  of  those  days.  And  there  were,  no  doubt,  many  others  of 
like  spirit,  whose  names  have  not  been  chronicled  on  earth,  but  are 
written  in  heaven.  It  is  no  wonder  that  with  such  ministers  and 
preaching,  and  with  such  fathers  and  mothers  in  Israel  as  helpers  in 
the  work,  the  Lord  glorified  himself  in  doing  great  things  for  Zion 
in  those  early  years.  The  choice  seed  which  was  then  sown  in  this 
virgin  soil  has  continued  to  bear  fruit  ever  since.  And  this  planta 
tion  of  grace  spread  itself  far  and  wide  over  the  regions  west ;  so 
that  the  four  S)nods  which  are  here  represented,  not  to  speak  of 
others,  were  largely  planted  by  those  who  were  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  these  revival  workers.  Hence  it  is  that  this  region  of  the 
church  has  been  well  denominated  the  back-bone  of  our  American 
Presbyterianism.  We  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  our  spiritual  an- 
cestry, and  yet  humbled  that  we  are  not  as  worthy  of  this  ancestry 
as  we  might  be,  while  at  the  same  time  we  may  be  thankful  that  we 
have  not  wholly  forgotten  the  faith  of  our  fathers. 

Among  the  lessons  which  we  may  learn  from  this  survey  are  such 
as  these : 

I .  That  we  need  a  revival  of  family  religion  such  as  was  main- 
tained in  the  households  of  those  fathers.  They  ' '  commanded  their 
children,  and  their  households  after  them,  that  they  should  keep  the 
way  of  the  Lord,"  etc.  These  parents  deserved  the  reverence  which 
they  demanded  from  their  sons  and  daughters.  It  was  a  matter  of 
course  that  such  mothers  should  keep  up  the  worship  of  the  house- 
hold in  the  absence  of  the  fathers.  Family  religion  was  not  then  a 
secondary  matter.  They  had,  it  is  true,  no  church  Sunday-schools ; 
but  they  had  what  was  better — so  far  as  the  children  of  the  pious 
were  concerned — a  Sabbath-school  in  every  family  on  the  evening 
of  the  day,  after  returning  from  public  worship,  when  the  Catechism 
was  studied  and  recited,  and  other  religious  instruction  given.  Thus 
they  spent  the  "whole  day,"  and  not  merely  a  part  of  it,  in  the 
public  and  private  exercises  of  God's  worship.  And  I  can  testify 
for  one,  that  such  Sabbaths  were  not  gloomy  and  hateful,  though 
impressively  solemn.  Some,  it  may  be,  were  pharisaically  austere; 
but  better  even  this,  a  thousandfold,  than  a  holiday  Sunday  after- 


64  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

noon,  which  shall  obliterate  all  the  good  impressions  of  the  morning, 
and  leave  no  time  or  disposition  for  family  instruction.  Woe  to 
the  church  and  woe  to  the  land,  when  our  old  Puritan  and  Scotch- 
Irish  holy  Sabbaths  (which  are  the  true  Scripture  Sabbaths)  shall  be 
superseded  by  continental  holidays.  The  new  Hopkinsianism  is  an 
exotic  in  this  region,  and  we  trust  it  may  ever  find  here  a  soil  un- 
congenial to  so  mischievous  a  growth. 

2.  That  God  is  ever  waiting  to  bestow  blessings  upon  a  waiting 
people.  Iniquity  abounded — ministers  and  people  felt  their  need — 
they  sought  the  Lord  secretly,  socially,  and  by  special  concert. 
They  heard  "the  sound  of  a  going,"  etc.,  and  they  bestirred  them- 
selves— they  looked  for  the  spreading  of  the  little  cloud  until  the 
Lord  poured  down  upon  them  abundance  of  rain.  Shall  it  not  be 
so  with  us  in  these  days? 

3.  They  remembered  the  heathen  and  the  waste  places  (as  we 
shall  see  more  fully  in  a  subsequent  discourse),  and  they  gave  liber- 
ally according  to  their  means — thus  bringing  their  tithes  into  the 
storehouse,  and  proving  the  Lord  therewith.  Shall  we  not  also 
learn  to  practice  more  self-denial  and  beneficence  for  Christ's  sake  ? 
Shall  we  not  endeavor  to  bring  every  member  in  each  of  our  churches 
(the  weak  as  well  as  the  strong)  to  give  systematically  to  all  our  be- 
nevolent enterprises — thus  coming  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  by 
replenishing  all  the  empty  treasuries  of  the  Boards,  and  thus  see  if 
God  will  not  pour  us  out  a  blessing. 

4.  We  want  more  of  such  lay  helpers,  male  and  female,  as  they 
had  in  those  days.  What  a  vast  storehouse  of  undeveloped  power 
have  we  in  our  churches,  especially  in  the  eldership  and  in  our 
Christian  women?  The  latter  are  nobly  waking  up  to  the  duty 
and  privilege  of  "woman's  work  for  woman,"  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  Let  all  thus  awake.  And  the  eldership  also,  is  there  not 
beginning  to  be  a  shaking  among  many  who  have  been  as  dry  bones? 
What  mean  these  conferences  of  elders  at  the  meetings  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  these  conventions  of  elders  in  divers  places  to  in- 
quire into  the  nature  and  duties  of  their  office?  If  the  eldership  in 
all  our  churches  were  waked  up  to  the  duty  of  working,  and  setting 
others  to  work,  in  Sabbath-schools,  prayer-meetings,  exhorting, 
visiting  families,  and  inquiring  into  the  state  of  family  religion, 
catechetical  instruction,  Christian  giving,  etc. — being  themselves  ex- 


THE  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY.  ts 


amples  to  the  flock  over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  them 
overseers — then  would  the  power  of  the  church  be  increased  ten- 
fold; and  there  would  be  no  need  of  lay  evangelists,  male  and  fe- 
male, to  supplement  (if  not  usurp)  the  office  of  the  ministry.  Our 
church  machinery  is  complete,  and  if  it  were  in  proper  working 
order,  and  the  impulsive  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  applied  to  it,  no 
other  evangelistic  agencies  would  be  needed. 

5.  All  this  implies  and  presupposes  that  the  ministry  be  compe- 
tent, holy,  and  faithful;  that  we  preach  such  unadulterated  and  un- 
diluted truth  as  those  old  fathers  preached,  and  as  we  may  find  it  in 
the  few  published  sermons  of  McMillan  and  Porter;  that  we  be 
"men  of  Issachar,  having  an  understanding  of  the  times,  that  we 
may  know  what  Israel  ought  to  do;"  that  we  be  up  to  the  spirit  of 
the  times,  and  instinct  with  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord;  that  we  preach, 
not  science  or  politics,  but  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified;  that  we 
believe,  and  therefore  speak ;  knowing  in  whom  we  have  ourselves 
believed;  having  no  other  aim  than  to  glorify  our  Master  in  the 
salvation  of  souls;  for  whom  we  travail  in  birth  until  Christ  be 
formed  within  them. 

O  brethren !  shall  we  not  seek  a  new  consecration — a  fresh  bap- 
tism? And  may  we  not  expect  that  this  holy  convocation  in  which 
we  are  now  met,  like  those  of  former  years,  shall  be  followed  by 
special  visitations  on  all  our  churches  and  throughout  the  land? 
We  are  now  about  to  enter  upon  the  last  quarter  of  this  eventful 
century,  and  upon  a  new  year,  and  a  new  centennium  of  our 
Western  Presbyterianism.  Providence  and  prophecy  point  to 
greater  struggles  and  greater  triumphs  than  our  forefathers  wit- 
nessed. The  Lord  is  at  hand !  Our  time  of  work  will  soon  be 
ended!  Let  us  understand  our  high  responsibilities,  and  standing 
firm  on  the  vantage-ground  of  opportunity  which  the  Lord  has 
f iven  us,  let  us  occupy  till  He  come ! 

Note.— In  the  foregoing  sketches  of  the  early  revivals,  the  writer  has 
generally  quoted  the  very  language  of  the  current  authorities,  some- 
times slighth'  abridged  or  modified,  but  often  without  the  use  of  quota- 
tion marks  or  the  mention  of  names. 
E 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY 

PRESBYTERIANISM 

IV 

WESTERN    PENN'A  AND  ADJACENT   REGIONS. 


Delivered  at  the  Centennial  Convention,  held  in  the  First 

Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburgh,  December 

7th,  8th,  and  9th,  1875. 


JAMES  I.  BROWNSON,  D.D., 

Pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Washington,  Pa 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY. 


RESBYTERIANISM  has  a  very  distinctive  character. 
Its  first  principle  is  unqualified  subjection  to  the  word 
of  God,  in  contrast  alike  with  rationalism  and  churchly 
authority.  Divine  supremacy  in  all  things,  but  espe 
cially  those  of  the  human  soul,  is  one  of  its  fundamental  doctrines ; 
yet  that  very  supremacy  includes  man's  agency  and  responsibility, 
as  concerning  this  life  and  the  world  to  come.  In  its  polity,  this 
system  is  not  a  mere  voluntary  society ;  nor  yet  a  hierarchy,  com- 
petent to  suspend  private  judgment  or  to  enact  laws  which  Christ 
has  not  given.  It  is  rather  a  commonwealth,  whose  divine  Lord 
only  is  "  Master,"  having  received  "all  power  in  heaven  and  in 
earth,"  and  whose  rulers  and  members  are  all  "  brethren."  Such  a 
conception  admits  offices  of  instruction  and  administration,  of  di- 
vine appointment,  for  the  maintenance  of  truth  and  order.  But 
they  come  under  the  only  sanction  and  limitations  of  God's  will, 
with  no  rival  rule  of  caprice  or  unauthorized  expediency.  Equality 
of  birthright,  liberty  within  Scriptural  sanction,  express  or  fairly  de- 
duced, and  a  rule  of  faith  and  practice  revealed  from  heaven — these 
are  its  blood-bought  rights,  never  to  be  yielded  for  any  "  yoke  of 
bondage."  "  God  alone  is  Lord  of  the  conscience,  and  hath  left  it 
free  from  the  doctrines  and  commandments  of  men,  which  are  in 
anything  contrary  to  his  word  or  beside  it  in  matters  of  faith  and 
worship." — [Confession  of  Eaith.] 

In  such  a  system,  however  it  may  be  with  others,  the  education 

both  of  the  ministry  and  the  people  is  not  an  incident,  but  a  funda- 
69 


■JO  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


mental  necessity.  The  ministry  under  a  responsibility,  whereof  an 
open  Bible  is  the  continual  test,  must  be  able,  both  by  culture  and 
the  enlightenment  of  the  Spirit,  to  discover  the  truth  of  God  and  to 
distinguish  it  from  "  the  commandments  of  men."  The  people, 
having  a  right  as  clearly  assured,  must  be  ready,  like  the  noble  Be- 
reans,  to  "receive  the  word  with  all  readiness  of  mind,"  and  to 
' '  search  the  Scriptures  daily  whetherxthese  things  are  so. "  And  both, 
having  their  minds  "sanctified  by  the  word  of  God  and  prayer," 
are  then  ready  truly  to  "judge  all  things"  and  yet  be  "judged  of 
no  man."  This  is  the  real  logic  of  relations,  and  whether  in  this 
case  it  has  or  has  not  been  fulfilled  in  history,  let  impartial  Europe 
and  America  decide. 

The  track  of  the  great  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  century  is  not 
more  clearly  marked  in  the  countries  of  its  prevalence  by  the  rescue 
of  the  word  of  God  from  its  dark  covering  of  ceremony  and  super- 
stition, than  also  by  the  establishment  of  seminaries  and  schools. 
"  We  boast  of  our  common  schools,"  says  our  great  historian,  Ban- 
croft, "  but  Calvin  was  the  father  of  popular  education,  the  inventor 
of  the  system  of  free  schools."  Impartial  judges  do  not  fail  to  trace 
much  of  the  glory  of  New  England's  early  enterprise  and  great  ad- 
vancement in  both  general  and  special  education  to  the  leaven  of 
Presbyterianism,  so  strongly  diffused  through  its  early  and  control- 
ling Puritanism.  But  still  more  unmistakable  is  this  influence,  pure 
and  unmixed,  as  it  came  hither  from  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Hol- 
land, transferring  to  our  shores  the  progress  and  spirit  of  their  insti- 
tutions in  the  persons  of  their  educated  and  godly  ministers  and 
other  instructors.  Its  memorials  we  may  find  in  such  colleges  as 
Princeton  in  New  Jersey,  Hampden-Sidney  and  Washington  in  Vir- 
ginia, Davidson  in  North  Carolina,  Dickinson,  as  it  was,  in  Eastern, 
and  our  own  Jefferson  and  Washington  in  Western  Pennsylvania, 
besides  others,  especially  westward  and  southward,  which  have  grown 
out  of  them,  or  have  sprung  from  the  same  seed. 

By  far  the  largest  proportion  of  the  first  white  settlers  of  Western 
Pennsylvania  were  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians.  That  people  had  been 
disciplined,  first  in  Scotland  and  then  in  Ulster,  by  long  and  severe 
contest  for  civil  and  religious  liberty,  into  the  "  hardness"  of  "good 
soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ."  It  was  no  wonder  that,  at  length,  under 
the  rule  of  intolerant  prelacy,  they  were  ready  to  make  common 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  71 

cause  with  the  Huguenots  in  the  settlement  of  the  Carolinas,  and 
with  the  Dutch  in  that  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  but  espe- 
cially to  plant  themsebes  amidst  the  forests  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
region  now  covered  by  Chester,  Lancaster,  and  York  counties,  under 
her  first  and  blessed  banner  of  religious  toleration,  and  in  Cecil 
county,  Maryland.  As  they  surpassed  all  other  people  in  the  cour- 
age and  endurance  requisite  for  border  warfare,  so  they  were  pushed 
forward  to  occupy  the  lands  west  of  the  Susquehanna  to  the  Blue 
Ridge,  even  in  advance  of  the  extinguishment  of  Indian  titles  in 
1 736  by  the  proprietary  government,  as  well  as  westward  still  under 
like  extinguishments  in  1754  and  1768.  Even  the  royalty  and  high 
church-ism  of  the  cavaliers  consented  to  their  occupation  of  the  beau- 
tiful valley  of  the  Shenandoah  under  legal  sanction,  finding  compen- 
sation for  the  endurance  of  a  hated  faith,  in  such  a  breastwork  of 
defence  against  savage  butchery.  From  that  Virginia  valley  came  a 
large  proportion  of  the  population,  as  well  as  of  the  religious  efforts 
and  supervision,  which  established  the  church  and  its  institutions  in 
the  territory  represented  in  this  Convention.  A  chief  reason  for  this 
fact  is  to  be  found  in  the  claim  of  Virginia  to  what  is  now  the  south- 
western portion  of  Pennsylvania,  prior  to  the  extension  of  Mason's 
and  Dixon's  line  in  1784,  which  settled  the  long  and  fierce  dispute. 

When  the  four  honored  fathers  of  the  Redstone  Presbytery  organ- 
ized that  body  in  1781,  the  population  west  of  the  Alleghenies  was 
small  and  scattered.  Only  twenty-nine  years  before  had  the  first 
white  settlement  been  made  by  Gist  and  the  eleven  families  he  had 
gathered,  at  Mount  Braddock,  in  what  is  now  Fayette  county.  The 
best  English  authority  reports  the  whole  population  at  about  four 
thousand,  when  General  Stanwix,  the  successor  of  the  lamented 
Forbes,  erected  Fort  Pitt  in  1760,  only  fifteen  years  before  John 
McMillan  and  his  associates  took  possession  of  this  soil  in  the  name 
of  Christ.  The  census  of  1790,  fifteen  years  after  their  coming, 
found  only  about  fifty  thousand  people  in  the  western  counties,  or 
less  than  one-twentieth  of  the  present  number.  Taking  the  poverty 
of  the  people,  and  the  absence  of  facilities  for  travel,  transportation, 
and  business  into  the  account,  the  disparity  of  condition  is  increased 
an  hundredfold.  And  yet  the  same  rude  cabins  and  forests  which 
encompassed  a.ssemblies  of  devout  worshipers  on  the  Lord's  day, 
furnished,  to  an  extent  most  noteworthy  in  history,  not  only  secular 


» 


J 2  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

instruction,  but  classical  and  scientific  learning.  It  was  an  essential 
part  of  their  inheritance  brought  from  the  old  country,  and  cherished 
under  the  culture  of  the  Biairs  and  Smitlis  in  their  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania homes. 

It  would  be  as  unprofitable  as  it  would  be  unjust  to  the  memories 
of  James  Power,  John  McMillan,  Thaddeus  Dodd,  and  Joseph  Smith, 
to  make  invidious  comparisons  of  their  educational,  any  more  than 
their  ministerial  work.  They  were  all  valued  sons  of  the  College  of 
New  Jersey,  and  devoted  friends  both  of  scholarship  and  religion. 
With  one  mind  they  co-operated  in  the  promotion  of  sound  learning. 
The  elevation  of  society  furnished  a  general  motive,  whilst  the  de- 
mand for  a  competent  supply  of  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  was  nothing 
short  of  a  necessity.  And  neither  history  nor  tradition  has  trans- 
mitted a  whisper  of  jealousy  between  them.  "From  the  outset," 
says  Doddridge  in  his  "Notes,"  " they  p."udently  resolved  to  create 
a  ministry  in  the  country,  and  accordingly  established  little  gram- 
mar schools  at  their  own  houses,  or  in  their  immediate  neighbor- 
hoods." In  the  absence  of  positive  evidence,  it  is  to  be  presumed 
that  Dr.  James  Power,  whose  first  visit,  in  1 774,  was  followed  in  1779 
by  his  permanent  settlement  as  pastor  of  the  churches  of  Mount- 
pleasant  and  Sewickley,  in  Westmoreland  county,  was  a  promoter  of 
liberal  education,  especially  in  view  of  his  known  fidelity  in  the  cate- 
chetical instruction  of  his  own  people.  His  literary  character,  at 
least,  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  was  one  of  the  first  two 
recipients  of  the  title  of  D.D.  from  Jefferson  College,  in  1808.  In 
the  cases  of  the  other  three  first  members  of  the  mother  Presbytery, 
all  of  whom  labored  in  Washington  county,  there  is  no  room  for 
doubt,  each  having  established  a  school  for  training  in  the  higher 
branches  of  learning.  The  question  of  priority  has  enlisted  much 
zeal  among  the  friends  as  well  as  descendants  of  these  venerable  men, 
but  as  yet  without  any  definite  settlement.  Limit  of  space,  as  well 
as  propriety  itself,  will  restrain  us  on  this  occasion  from  entering  that 
field  with  the  hope  of  any  satisfactory  result.  A  brief  statement  of 
the  case  must  suffice. 

It  is  certain  that  the  Rev.  Thaddeus  Dodd  erected  a  building  on  his 
own  farm,  and  opened  in  it  a  classical  and  mathematical  school  in 
1782,  three  years  after  his  settlement  as  Pastor  of  Ten-Mile,  and 
just  as  many  years  before  his  congregation  erected  a  house  of  worship. 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  73 

That  academy  continued  in  operation  three  years  and  a  half,  until 
the  sale  of  the  farm  led  to  its  suspension.  It  numbered  among  its 
pupils  James  Hughes,  John  Brice,  Daniel  Lindly,  Robert  Marshall, 
John  Hanna,  and  David  Smith,  the  first  fruits  of  a  large  native  min- 
istry, gathered  in  the  western  church.  The  suspension  of  Mr.  Dodd's 
academy  transferred  Messrs.  Hughes,  Brice,  and  probably  others, 
to  the  school  opened  in  the  "study"  at  Buffalo,  in  1785,  by  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Smith,  where  they  were  joined  by  Joseph  Patterson,  James 
McGready,  Samuel  Porter,  and  others  of  like  purpose.  That  school, 
claimed  by  the  author  of  "Old  Redstone,"  the  grandson  of  Mr. 
Smith,  to  be  "the  first  school  opened  with  exclusive  reference  to  the 
training  of  young  men  for  the  ministry,"  was  successful  for  a  few 
years,  until  the  failing  health  of  Mr.  Smith  compelled  its  abandon- 
ment, and  then  most  of  its  students  passed  into  the  "Log  Cabin" 
school  of  Dr.  John  McMillan,  at  Chartiers. 

The  date  of  the  establishment  of  Dr.  McMillan's  academy  is  the 
central  question  of  the  debate  already  referred  to.  It  is  likely  to 
remain  an  open  question;  but  settle  it  as  we  may,  his  fame  will  abide 
as  the  conservative,  thoughtful,  resolute,  and  far-seeing  leader  of  his 
brethren  in  the  educational,  as  well  as  ecclesiastical  work  of  the 
church.  On  the  one  hand,  it  is  urged  that  although  Dr.  McMillan 
must  have  given  occasional  and  private  instruction  in  the  classics  as 
early  as  any  of  his  brethren,  if  not  indeed  before  them  all,  yet  that 
his  school,  as  such,  only  in  fact  covered  the  common  English  branches, 
until  shortly  before  the  cessation  of  Mr.  Smith's  school  at  Buffalo. 
But  against  this  view,  it  is  forcibly  argued,  on  the  ground  of  popu- 
lar tradition,  confirmed  in  probability,  as  we  shall  presently  see, 
by  Dr.  McMillan's  own  words,  that  his  school, .  as  an  academy, 
must  have  originated  as  early  as  Mr.  Dodd's,  viz.,  in  1782,  if  not  one 
or  two  years  before  it.  The  argument  turns  somewhat,  though  not 
conclusively,  upon  another  question,  viz.,  whether  James  Ross,  the 
first  known  teacher  under  Dr.  McMillan,  and  afterwards  so  distin- 
guished both  as  an  advocate  and  statesman — having  reached  a  seat 
in  the  United  States  Senate  in  1794 — gave  instruction  in  the  classics, 
or  simply  taught  English  branches,  whilst  receiving  private  instruc- 
tion in  Latin  and  Greek  from  Dr.  McMillan  himself.  At  least  as 
early  as  1 786  he  can  be  traced  as  an  attorney  in  vigorous  practice  in 
the  courts  of  Washington  county. 


7^  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

After  all,  might  there  not  be  a  key  of  solution  in  the  suggestion 
that  Dr.  McMillan's  school  was  probably  opened  as  early  as  1780, 
and  included  Latin  and  Greek  in  its  design,  so  far  as  the  demand  for 
them  then  existed,  but  that  upon  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Dodd's  dis- 
tinctively classical  academy  two  years  later,  such  instruction  may 
have  been  chiefly  surrendered  to  him  for  a  time,  in  view  of  the  suffi- 
ciency of  one  such  school  to  meet  the  demand,  and  in  view  of  Dr. 
McMillan's  other  abundant  labors ;  to  which  also  is  to  be  added 
the  fact  that  Dr.  McMillan's  charge,  so  prolific  of  candidates  for  the 
ministry  afterwards,  was  at  first  less  so  than  the  congregations  of  some 
of  his  brethren.  This  supposition  concedes  priority  to  Dr.  McMillan, 
which  is  probably  the  truth,  whilst  it  brings  other  facts  into  harmony 
with  it,  else  very  difficult  of  explanation.  In  that  case,  the  subse- 
quent collection  of  the  classical  students  at  Chartiers  was  simply,  in 
this  respect,  a  resumption. 

The  curious  reader  may  find  the  whole  question  ably  argued,  if 
not  satisfactorily  settled,  in  the  Appendix  to  Dr.  Joseph  Smith's 
History  of  Jefferson  College  ;  on  the  one  side  by  the  author  him- 
self, and  on  the  other  by  Professor  Robert  Patterson,  now  associate 
editor  of  the  Presbyterian  Banner.  But  whatever  may  have  been 
the  origin  of  the  "Log  Cabin"  academy,  as  compared  with  those 
of  Messrs.  Dodd  and  Smith,  it  survived  them,  and  continued  to  supply 
the  demands  of  English,  classical,  and  even  theological  education, 
until  1 79 1,  when  its  students  were  passed  over  to  the  Canonsburg 
Academy,  shortly  before  erected.  The  spirit  of  McMillan  in  this 
whole  enterprise,  as  well  as  his  hearty  co-operation  with  his  brethren 
in  the  same  direction,  may  be  discovered  in  the  modest  statement 
of  his  letter  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  James  Carnahan,  under  date  of  March 
26th,  1832.  "When  I  had  determined,"  says  he,  "to  come  to 
this  country.  Dr.  Smith"  [his  theological  instructor,  the  Rev. 
Robert  Smith,  D.D.,  of  Pequea]  "enjoined  it  upon  me  to  look  out 
for  some  pious  young  men  and  educate  them  for  the  ministry,  '  for,' 
said  he,  '  though  some  men  of  piety  and  talents  may  go  to  a  new 
country  at  first,  yet  if  they  are  not  careful  to  raise  up  others,  the 
country  will  not  be  well  supplied.'  Accordingly  I  collected  a  few 
who  gave  evidence  of  piety,  and  taught  them  the  Latin  and  Greek 
languages,  some  of  whom  became  useful,  and  others  eminent  minis- 
ters of  the  Gospel.     I  had  still  a  few  with  me  when  the  academy 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  75 

was  opened  at  Canonsburg,  and  finding  I  could  not  teach  and  do 
justice  to  my  congregation,  I  immediately  gave  it  up  and  sent  them 
there." 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  case,  when  the  wants  of  the  community 
rose  above  the  supply  of  private  enterprise,  and  demanded  associated 
effort.  "  It  reflects  the  highest  honor  upon  these  illustrious  men," 
says  Professor  Patterson,  the  champion  of  Dr.  McMillan's  priority 
as  an  educator,  "  that  scarce  thirty  years  were  suffered  to  elapse 
after  the  first  daring  adventurer  had  penetrated  a  hitherto  pathless 
wilderness — thirty  years  not  of  prosperity,  but  of  painful  vigilance 
and  struggle,  of  unexampled  hardship  and  heroic  endurance — until 
the  poetiry  and  eloquence  of  Greece  and  Rome,  the  truths  of 
modern  science  and  of  sacred  learning,  had  found  three  humble 
halls,  three  devoted  instructors,  and  a  score  of  assiduous  pupils — 
though  the  war  whoop  of  the  retreating  savage  still  echoed  within 
the  surrounding  valleys,  and  his  council  fires  still  blazed  upon  the 
hills."  And  yet  to-day  we  celebrate  these  first  glorious  achieve- 
ments, following  them  down  in  their  ever  widening  influences 
through  three  generations.  The  combined  movement  referred  to 
found  embodiment  in  the  charter  of  the  Washington  Academy,  by 
an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  dated  September 
24,  1787.  The  same  act  devoted  for  the  uses  of  the  aca- 
demy five  thousand  acres  of  public  land  north  of  the  Ohio  river, 
chiefly  in  what  is  now  Beaver  county.  That  charter  was  secured 
mainly  through  the  influence  of  Dr.  McMillan  and  his  two  elders, 
Judges  Allison  and  McDowell,  then  members  of  the  Legislature. 
The  original  list  of  trustees  embraced  all  of  the  settled  Presbyterian 
ministers  west  of  the  Monongahela,  and  not  less  than  seven  or  eight 
ruling  elders  and  some  other  leading  members  of  the  same  deno- 
mination, as  well  as  a  goodly  representation  from  other  churches. 
It  was  not  until  1789  that  the  academy  went  into  operation 
under  the  Rev.  Thaddeus  Dodd,  who  was  chosen  principal,  doubt- 
less because,  by  common  consent,  he  was  the  finest  classical  and 
mathematical  scholar  of  these  eminent  fathers.  His  promise  of 
continuance  in  this  work  covered  only  one  year,  though  he  gave  an 
addition  of  three  months,  preaching  one-third  of  this  period  in 
Washington,  and  the  remaining  two-thirds  in  his  own  charge.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  associate,  Mr.   David  Johnston.      But  the 


76  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


burning  of  the  court  house,  in  which  the  classes  were  heard,  follow- 
ed, and  then  a  feeling  of  depression,  if  not  of  indifference  in  the 
community,  almost  insuperable.     The  division  of  sentiment  among 
friends  abroad,  and  diversion  of  their  influence,  and  the  suspension 
of  operations  which  ensued,  might  probably  have  been  avoided  had 
the  Hon.  John  Hoge,  a  trustee,  and  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
town,  met  the   proposal  of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  John  McMillan  and 
Matthew  Henderson,  the  latter  of  whom  was  father  of  the  Associate 
(now  United  Presbyterian)  Church  in  the  West,  for  the  donation  of 
a  lot  for  the  erection  of  an  academy.     The  prompt  offer  of  such  a 
lot  in  Canonsburg,  by  Col.  John  Canon,  together  with  the  advance 
of  funds  for  the  erection,  turned  the  scale.     About  this  time,  or  in 
the  summer  of  1791,  a  consultation  of  ministers  and  citizens,  con- 
cerning the  establishment  of  an  institution  on  a  larger  scale,   was 
held,  which,  under  like  influence,  resulted  in  favor  of  Canonsburg. 
Mr.   Johnston  having   resigned  at  Washington,    his   election  as 
principal  of  the  new  institution  was  followed  by  its  speedy  opening 
and  the  famous  first  recitation,  "  under  the  shade  of  some  sassafras 
bushes,"  by  Robert  Patterson  and  William  Riddle,  the  first  pair  of 
a  long   and   worthy  succession   of  students.     The   Rev.    Messrs. 
McMillan,  Smith,  and  Henderson  were  present,  and  consecrated 
the  incipient  enterprise  in  prayer.     At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  of 
Virginia,  in  October  of  the  same  year,  another  great  impulse  was 
given  by  the  adoption  of  "  a  plan  for  the  education  of  persons  for 
the  ministry  of  the  Gospel,"  which  recommended  that  two  institu- 
tions should  be  taken  under  the  patronage  of  the  SynoLl.     One  of 
these  was  to  be  located  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  under  the 
presidency  of  the  Rev.   William  Graham,  and  special  care  of  the 
Presbyteries  of  Lexington  and  Hanover — the  same  which  grew  into 
Washington  College  at  Lexington.     The  other  was  to  be  established 
in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  under  the  care  of  the  Rev. 
John  McMillan,  and  to  be  "  cherished  "  and  "  superintended  "  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Redstone.     The  Synod  also  advised  that  in  one 
or  other  of  these  institutions  all  the  candidates  for  the  ministry  with- 
in its  bounds  should  be  instructed.     The  Presbytery  of  Redstone,  at 
its  meeting  in  Pigeon  Creek,  October  18,  1792,  unanimously  agreed 
to  make  Canonsburg  '<  the  seat  of  that  institution  of  learning  which 
they  were  appointed  to  superintend,"  though,  upon  a  reconsidera- 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  77 

tion  of  the  subject,  in  the  following  spring,  the  way  was  left  open 
for  a  division  of  the  funds,  if  in  the  future  the  good  of  the  church 
should  require  the  erection  of  another  institution.     Contributions 
were  taken  by  active  agents  under  the  influence,  first,  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Redstone,   and,  then,   after  its  organization,   of  the  Ohio 
Presbytery,  in  whose  terrritory  the  academy  was  located.     Aid  was 
also  rendered  under  the  favor  of  the  Associate  Presbyterian  Church, 
led  by  the  Rev.  Matthew  Henderson  and  others.     These  funds  were 
applied  in  part  to  reimburse  Col.  Canon  for  his  outlay  in  the  erection 
of  the  academy,  and  in  part  for  current  expenses.    In  1 794,  or  seven 
years  after  the  incorporation  of  the  Washington  Academy,  a  charter 
was  obtained  at  Canonsburg  for  the  institution  from  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Pennsylvania,  under  the  name  of  "  The  Academy  and  Lib- 
rary Company."    But  at  what  precise  time  the  "  Log  Cabin"  school 
was  merged  into  the  Academy,  thus  fully  established,  it  is  not  easy 
to  determine.     It  is  certain,  at  least,  that  without  being  under  direct 
ecclesiastical  control,  the  institution  had  the  zeal  of  the  ministry 
and  the  church  in  its  favor.     It  was  happy,  also,  in  its  succession  of 
principals  and  assistant  instructors,  such  as  Samuel  Miller,  James 
Mountain,  James  Carnahan,  and  John  Watson.     The  last  of  these 
became  the  first  President  of  Jefferson  College  under  the  charter  of 
1802,  while  Mr.  Carnahan  reached  afterwards  the  same  high  place 
in  the  College  of  New  Jersey.      Nor  can  such  names  among  its 
pupils  as   those   of  Cephas   Dodd,    Elisha   McCurdy,  Thomas  E. 
Hughes,  Thomas  Marquis,  Robert  Johnston,  James  Hoge,  Joseph 
Stockton,  Samuel  Tait,  Jamss  Satterfield,  Obadiah  Jennings,  Wil- 
liam Neill,  James  Ramsey,  Gilbert  McMaster,  and  others,  fail  to 
tell  their  own  story  of  benefit  in  requital  of  the  offerings  of  the 
church.     At  least  one  baptism  of  revival  came  down  upon  the  in- 
stitution, in  1797,  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  God's  people,  when  of 
forty  students  there  was  not  one  who  was  not  believed  to  be  either 
an  avowed  Christian  or  "  a  subject  of  sharp  awakenings."      It  was 
not,  however,  until  the  year  1800,  that  the  first  legislative  aid  came 
in  the  form  of  a  grant  of  $1,000.     And  this  in  turn  stimulated  the 
renewal  of  a  movement  which  had  failed  in  1796,  but  now  found 
success  in  the  charter  of  January  15th,  1802,  which  transformed  the 
Canonsburg  Academy  into  Jefferson  College,  the  first,  and  in  its 
day  the  most  useful  college  west  of  the  Alleghenies.     The  two  sur- 


7*  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


viving  fathers  of  the  Redstone  Presbytery,  John  McMillan  and 
James  Power,  were  among  its  trustees,  Messrs  Smith  and  Dodd 
having  meanwhile  gone  to  their  rest.  With  them  also  were  asso- 
ciated Joseph  Patterson,  Thomas  Marquis,  Samuel  Ralston,  John 
McPherrin,  James  Dunlap,  and  John  Black,  honored  ministers, 
together  with  a  list  of  laymen  of  corresponding  prominence  and 
worth.  The  officers  of  instruction  were  constituted  by  simply  ele- 
vating the  teachers  of  the  academy  into  members  of  the  Faculty. 

Returning  now  to  the  Washington  Academy,  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  was  suspended  in  1791,  we  find  that  it  was  shortly  afterwards 
re-opened  and  carried  on  with  greater  or  less  success  until  the 
spring  of  1805,  under  James  Dobbins  and  Benjamin  Mills.  Then  a 
new  era  dawned  upon  it  in  the  election  to  its  management  and  in- 
struction of  the  Rev.  Matthew  Brown,  who  had  just  then  also  been 
chosen  as  the  first  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Washington. 
He  was  ably  assisted,  the  first  year,  by  his  young  friend,  David 
Elliott,  afterwards  his  distinguished  successor  both  in  the  college  and 
the  church,  and  the  second  year  by  his  honored  pupil,  George 
Baird.  Success  crowned  the  ability  and  energy  of  the  new  princi- 
pal, and  in  due  time  the  academy,  which  had  led  her  sister  at 
Canonsburg  by  seven  years  in  the  first  charter,  now  followed  her, 
after  the  lapse  of  four  years,  in  the  second,  having  received  also  an 
act  of  incorporation  as  a  college,  dated  March  28,  1806.  Formal 
application  was  made  for  this  charter  to  the  Legislature  by  the 
trustees,  but  its  success  was  due  chiefly  to  the  personal  influence  of 
the  energetic  principal,  aided  by  the  great  force  of  Parker  Campbell, 
Esq.,  the  leading  member  of  the  Washington  bar.  The  trustees  of 
the  academy  were  made  the  corporators  of  the  college,  and  to  their 
number,  as  in  the  Jeff'erson  Board,  additions  were  made  from  time  to 
time  from  the  most  prominent  ministers  and  citizens  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  The  proportion  of  numbers  in  both  cases  was  always, 
of  course,  in  favor  of  that  branch  of  the  church,  which,  in  fact, 
gave  the  breath  of  life  to  both.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  during 
the  whole  subsequent  period,  from  the  charter,  in  1806,  until  the 
union  of  the  colleges,  with  the  exception  of  two  and  a  half  years, 
the  presidency  of  the  Board  was  filled  by  two  venerable  men,  viz., 
the  Rev.  John  Anderson,  D.D.,  for  twenty-four  years,  ending  in 
1 83 1,  and  the  Rev.  David  Elliott,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  for  thirty- three 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  Jt) 

years,  ending  in  1865.  Dr.  Samuel  Ralston  likewise  presided  over 
the  Jefferson  Board  nearly  forty-four  years. 

The  history  of  Jefferson  and  Washington  Colleges  has  heretofore 
been  given  to  the  public  with  considerable  fullness.  In  these  pub- 
lished memorials  and  in  the  general  catalogue  issued  in  1872,  an 
inquirer  may  partially  trace  the  succession  in  each  down  to  their  union 
and  their  consolidation.  Each  struggled  from  first  to  last  with  poverty 
and  passed  through  various  changes  of  fortune.  Yet  each,  by  a 
divine  blessing  upon  indomitable  energy,  accomplished  a  work  for 
the  country  and  the  church  beyond  computation.  Rival  contestants 
they  were  for  public  favor  upon  the  same  field  of  operation.  Their 
movements  were  not  always  without  contest  and  bitterness.  Their 
separate  existence  was  maintained  for  about  threescore  years  against 
an  unceasing  protest  of  the  public  mind,  which,  together  with  the 
pressure  of  their  own  necessities,  compelled  frequent  though  un- 
availing efforts  for  their  consolidation.  And  yet  the  history  of  this 
or  any  other  country  may  be  challenged  for  results,  in  educated 
men,  as  great  in  proportion  to  the  means  expended  as  their  records 
will  show. 

John  Watson  the  first  President  of  Jefferson  College,  grew  up  an 
orphan  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  almost  without  education,  until  his 
habits  of  reading  and  study  were  discovered  by  the  distinguished 
Judge  Addison.  This  gentleman  encouraged  him  with  books  and 
counsel,  and  doubtless  commended  him  to  Dr.  McMillan,  who  in 
turn  elevated  him  from  menial  service  to  a  place  in  the  Academy 
at  Canonsburg,  first  as  a  pupil,  and  then  as  assistant  teacher,  and 
then  secured  for  him  the  benefit  of  a  fund  in  Princeton  College, 
pledging  other  help  besides.  But  his  own  energy  won  triumph  over 
the  need  of  further  help,  having  secured  for  him  the  position  of 
teacher  of  the  grammar  school,  and  thus  enabling  him  to  graduate 
with  distinction.  Recalled  to  Canonsburg,  he  became  Principal  of 
the  academy,  arid,  also,  along  with  his  patron  and  father-in-law.  Dr. 
McMillan,  an  influential  agent  in  procuring  the  college  charter,  and 
then  under  it,  by  unanimous  choice,  the  first  in  a  long  line  of  eminent 
presidents.  Meanwhile  he  had  entered  the  ministry,  but  his  lament- 
ed death,  November  31,  1802,  within  the  very  year  of  the  charter 
and  only  three  months  after  his  inauguration,  was  a  baptism  of 
affliction  to  the  infant  institution  and  the  church.      With  him  was 


8o  PRES3YTER/AX  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

associated  Samuel  Miller,  or  "  Master  Miller,"  as  he  was  called  from 
his  former  service  in  the  academy,  as  Professor  of  Mathematics  and 
Natural  Philosophy.  A  loving  pupil.  Dr.  Samuel  C.  Jennings, 
describes  this  gentleman  as  a  man  of  low  stature,  with  a  penetrat- 
ing eye,  and  in  old  age  a  smooth  white  head ;  a  self-made  scholar, 
kindly  in  disposition,  and  rebuking  oftener  with  the  pointing  of  his 
finger  than  with  sharp  words.  He  is  also  reported  as  a  decided 
Christian  and  an  active  ruling  elder  in  Dr.  McMillan's  church,  even 
after  his  voluntary  retirement  from  the  college,  in  1830,  until  his 
peaceful  death  a  year  later.  Dr.  McMillan  himself,  without  actual 
change  of  the  service  he  was  wont  to  render,  was  made  Professor 
of  Divinity,  to  give  instruction,  as  before,  to  candidates  for  the 
ministry.  And  the  very  year  of  the  charter  was  signalized  by  the 
graduation  of  the  first  class — trained  in  the  academy,  but  crowned 
with  college  honors — consisting  of  Reed  Bracken,  Johnston  Eaton, 
William  McMillan,  John  Rhea,  and  Israel  Pickens — all  afterwards 
effective  ministers  of  the  Gospel  but  the  last,  who  reached  the  dis- 
tinction of  Governor  of  Alabama  and  United  States  Senator.  This 
beginning  of  the  college  was  small,  but  it  was  the  beginning  of  an 
enterprise,  the  end  of  which  is  still  among  the  great  purposes  of 
God. 

The  administration  of  the  second  President,  the  Rev.  James 
Dunlap,  D.D.,  extended  over  a  period  of  eight  years,  ending  in 
1811.  He  was  a  son  of  New  Jersey  College,  of  the  class  of  1773, 
received  ordination  in  1781  at  the  hands  of  the  New  Castle  Presby- 
tery, and  after  a  pastorate  of  seven  years  over  the  united  churches 
of  Laurel  Hill  and  Dunlap's  Creek,  near  Brownsville,  Pa.,  and  of 
fourteen  more  over  the  latter  church  alone,  accepted  the  presidency. 
His  discharge  of  the  trust  was  not  marked  with  special  interest, 
except  in  the  way  of  financial  struggle,  on  the  part  of  the  institu- 
tion, to  maintain  its  existence,  and  still  harder  struggle,  on  the 
part  of  the  president,  to  defray  the  expenses  of  his  family  and  pay 
his  tutors,  on  a  salary  of  less  tlian  $600,  with  a  small  addition  from 
the  Church  of  Miller's  Run,  to  which  he  ministered.  Even  his 
salary  was  larger  by  one-fourth  than  that  of  his  predecessor.  Such 
then  were  the  country  and  the  times  !  These  causes,  along  with  a 
spirit  perhaps  too  easily  wounded  by  the  frank  dealings  of  the 
Board,  led  to  the  resignation  of  a  man  said  to  have  possessed  great 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  8l 

excellence  of  character.  The  average  number  of  his  graduates  was 
sHghtly  ost.xfive,  which  was  the  size  of  the  only  class  under  his  pre- 
decessor. 

During  the  interval  of  a  year  which  followed,  Dr.  McMillan,  who 
had  been  made  Vice  Principal  for  this  purpose,  gave  to  the  college 
his  general  supervision.  At  its  close  the  Rev.  Andrew  Wylie  was 
inducted  into  the  presidency — the  same  Dr.  Wylie  afterwards  so 
noted  in  the  administration  of  both  the  colleges  and  in  their  contro- 
versies. He  had  been  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Matthew  Brown,  in  the 
Washington  Academy,  but  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1810,  in 
Jefferson  College,  the  last  year  of  Dr.  Dunlap's  presidency.  His 
succession  to  this  high  place  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  and 
only  eighteen  months  after  his  reception  of  a  diploma,  was  a 
triumph  of  which  any  young  man  might  be  proud.  Perhaps  we 
may  find  here  the  swing  of  the  pendulum.  It  was,  at  least,  a  very 
marked  return  to  the  first  policy  of  having  a  young  president,  after 
an  intervening  administration  commenced  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
Nor  was  the  new  president — fine  scholar  and  energetic  executive  as 
he  was — remarkable  for  success,  during  the  five  years  of  his  incum- 
bency, as  the  total  of  his  eighteen  graduates  will  show.  But  fairness 
demands  that  we  look  away  from  Canonsburg  for  at  least  a  part  of 
the  explanation. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  during  the  ten  years  last  under  re- 
view, Washington  College  had  come  into  earnest  operation  under  the 
Rev.  Matthew  Brown,  its  originator  and  first  president,  as  we  have 
seen.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Dickinson  College  in  1784.  The  eight 
classes  which  received  the  Bachelor's  degree  at  his  hands  in  these 
opening  years  numbered  in  all  forty-eight,  or  an  average  of  six. 
Like  those  of  Jefferson,  they  embraced  a  fine  proportion  of  names 
since  high  in  the  registry  of  Church  and  State.  "Much  of  the  favor 
of  the  church,  which,  as  has  appeared,  had  been  transferred  to 
Canonsburg,  was  won  back.  The  foundations  of  a  college  were 
firmly  laid,  alike  in  scholarship  and  government,  and  a  presidential 
reputation  was  made,  of  which  the  alumni  of  both  colleges  are 
justly  proud.  And  yet,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  until  the  last 
year  of  his  term,  the  only  regular  professor  associated  with  Dr. 
Brown  was  James  Reed,  who  held  the  chair  of  Mathematics  and 
Natural  Philosophy.  Precisely  the  same  was  true  of  Jefferson, 
F 


82  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

which  did  not  add  a  second  professor  until  1818,  or  three  years 
later  still,  when  in  like  manner  the  Ancient  Languages  were  detach- 
ed from  the  presidency  and  formed  into  a  distinct  chair.  So  limited 
then  were  these  fountains  of  learning  in  resources  !  So  self-denying 
and  laborious  the  agents  who  executed  their  work  !  And  yet  so 
bright  is  the  record  of  the  men  year  by  year  sent  from  them  into 
the  high  places  of  the  land  ! 

"  The  College  War  "  cannot  be  passed  over  in  this  history,  though 
even  yet  the  time  has  scarcely  come  for  its  impartial  treatment,  ex- 
cept to  state  some  of  its  prominent  facts.  It  came  to  its  crisis  in  the 
transfer,  by  election,  in  181 6,  of  Dr.  Wylie  from  the  presidency  of 
Jefferson  to  that  of  Washington.  It  raged  actively  for  at  least  two 
years,  and  then  left  animosities  behind  it,  which  far  out-lived  the 
busy  actors  themselves.  Happy  is  the  disposition  of  posterity  to  for- 
get a  strife  which  alienated  good  men,  divided  communities  and 
families,  filled  the  press  with  crimination,  embarrassed  the  cause  of 
education,  and  put  the  church  of  God  itself  under  a  heavy  stress  of 
trouble.  Well  has  it  been  said,  that  the  survival  of  the  colleges 
themselves,  and  of  religion  at  the  centres  of  the  contest,  was  a  signal 
proof  of  the  power  and  grace  of  God. 

True  to  human  nature  as  it  is,  the  immediate  occasion  of  this  strife 
was  an  earnest  and  almost  successful  negotiation  for  the  consolida- 
tion of  the  institutions  at  one  place.  Committees  of  the  Boards  met 
at  Graham's  tavern,  midway  between  the  two  towns,  on  the  26th  of 
October,  1815,  and  approximated  but  did  not  reach  a  satisfactory 
basis  of  union.  The  next  day  the  following  proposition  was  offered 
in  the  Jefferson  Board,  viz.,  "  Resolved,  That  provided  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Washington  College  will  not  recede  from  their  sine 
qua  non,  viz.,  '  that  the  permanent  site  of  the  united  college  should 
be  in  the  borough  of  Washington,'  but  will  give  ^5,000,  in  addition 
to  their  present  funds,  half  of  the  trustees,  and  the  casting  vote  in 
the  choice  of  the  Faculty,  this  Board  will  agree  to  give  up  the  site  to 
them,  and  will  unite  with  them  in  petitioning  the  Legislature  to  effect 
the  object  in  view."  Action,  however,  was  suspended  on  this  reso- 
lution, in  order  to  hold  a  consultation  with  the  Faculty,  when  Presi- 
dent Wylie  gave  his  consent,  and  stated  his  belief  of  Professor  Mil- 
ler's concurrence,  founded  on  consultation  with  him.  But  a  warm 
debate  left  the  Board  a  tie  upon  the  resolution,  whilst  the  President, 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  Sj 

Dr.  Ralston,  "  hesitated"  for  a  time,  "  but  afterwards  he  did  vote 
in  the  affirmative,"  though  not  until  the  negative  side  had  claimed 
that  the  crisis  was  past,  and  the  secretary  had  recorded  that  the 
president  had  declined  voting — under  which  ruling  the  motion  was, 
of  course,  lost.  And  thus  was  postponed,  for  just  half  a  century,  a 
consummation  often  sought,  and  surely  devoutly  wished,  by  many 
friends  of  both  colleges  before  and  since.  Without  expression  of 
opinion,  we  may  see  in  these  facts,  that  it  was  not  as  yet  the  will  of 
Providence  that  these  streams  should  be  joined  until  their  separate 
benefits  should  have  been  more  fully  secured,  and  the  channel  of 
their  union  better  prepared. 

Negotiations  to  the  same  effect  were  soon  renewed,  though  excited 
feeling  rendered  their  success  impossible.  But  other  changes  soon 
turned  the  current  of  events.  The  resignation  of  Dr.  Brown  as  Presi- 
dent at  Washington,  and  the  election  of  Dr.  Wylie,  with  his  transfer 
to  the  vacant  place,  were  simultaneous.  His  election  was  secured, 
amidst  excitement,  by  the  casting  vote  of  the  President,  Dr.  John 
Anderson ;  and  a  like  tumult  prevailed  at  Canonsburg.  In  the  hot 
strife  thus  engendered,  motives  were  of  course  assailed.  Parties  re- 
sorted to  the  public  press  for  vindication.  Sharp  lines  of  division 
were  drawn  between  former  friends,  extending  even  to  ministers  and 
churches.  Dr.  Brown,  retiring  from  the  college,  continued  in  his 
pastoral  relation  for  six  years  longer,  with  the  warmest  love  of  his 
church  generally,  as  well  as  the  sympathy  of  a  portion  of  the  public, 
drawn  to  him  as  an  injured  man.  During  these  six  years,  and  for 
just  the  same  period  afterwards.  Dr.  Wylie  presided  at  Washington, 
but  neither  his  fine  talents,  scholarship,  address,  and  energy,  nor  the 
warm  devotion  of  friends  and  students,  could  wholly  raise  him  above 
the  adverse  influences  growing  out  of  the  circumstances  of  his  elec- 
tion. Men  of  the  highest  honor  were  enlisted  on  both  sides  of  that 
controversy,  in  view  of  which  fact,  the  judgment  even  of  this  remote 
generation  should  be  held  in  abeyance.  Yet  the  evils  of  the  warfare 
were  clear  and  abundant.  In  such  a  condition  of  things,  it  is  not  a 
little  to  the  credit  of  Dr.  Wylie,  that  there  was  an  average  of  nine 
graduates  from  the  college  during  the  twelve  years  of  his  administra- 
tion. But  his  retirement  in  1828  to  take  charge  of  the  Indiana  State 
University,  at  Bloomington,  was  soon  followed  by  the  suspension  of 
the  college  itself.     He  died  in  185 1,  having  passed  three  score  years. 


84  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

Dr.  Wylie's  successor  at  Canonsburg  was  the  Rev.  Wm.  McMillan, 
A.M.,  a  nephew  of  the  venerable  founder  of  the  college,  and  an 
alumnus  of  its  first  class.  He  was  a  man  of  rugged  scholarship  and 
force  rather  than  of  social  and  literary  culture.  He  was  measurably 
successful  during  his  presidency  of  five  years,  adding  fifty-nine  names 
to  the  roll  of  alumni.  He  also  supplied  the  church  of  Miller's  Run. 
The  chief  reason  of  his  resignation  was  the  alleged  failure  of  the 
Board  to  sustain  him  in  a  controversy  with  certain  students,  charged 
with  mutiny,  sedition,  and  rebellion.  These  charges,  involving  the 
reputation  of  the  Principal,  as  he  claimed,  the  Board,  on  investiga- 
tion, did  not  regard  as  sufficiently  proven.  He  was  subsequently 
President  of  Franklin  College,  at  New  Athens,  Ohio,  and  died 
in  1832. 

The  last  Wednesday  of  September,  1822,  marks  the  crisis  and 
dawn  of  the  true  glory  of  Jefferson  College.  The  Rev.  Matthew 
Brown,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  who  then  held  a  call  in  his  hand  to  the 
presidency  of  Centre  College,  at  Danville,  Kentucky,  and  was  favor- 
ably considering  it,  was  elected  that  night  to  the  place  made  vacant 
by  President  McMillan's  resignation.  A  prompt  committee  man- 
aged to  have  him  brought  from  Washington  to  Canonsburg  before 
breakfast  the  next  morning,  ready  to  preside  at  the  commencement, 
confer  the  degrees,  and  deliver  the  Baccalaureate  address,  all  on  the 
same  day.  Confessing  himself  bewildered  as  in  a  whirl  of  events,  he 
could  not  resist  what  seemed  to  him  and  his  brethren  a  clear  call  of 
the  Lord.  And  subsequent  events"  have  but  confirmed  that  interpre- 
tation. He  carried  into  his  new  position  the  benefits  of  his  official 
exjjerience  of  ten  years  at  Washington,  and  the  fine  reputation  he 
had  so  fairly  won.  If  his  character  was  not  the  most  symmetrical,  he 
still  had  the  elements  of  success  in  an  eminent  degree.  Opposites 
blended  in  him  most  remarkably.  Special  eccentricities,  a  hasty 
temper,  and  the  reactions  of  mirth  and  depression,  were  all  joined 
with  a  vigorous  intellect,  clear  judgment,  quick  discernment,  good 
sense,  ardent  piety,  and  untiring  energy.  If  his  impetuosity  some- 
times involved  him  in  mistakes,  his  students  loved  him,  even  the 
wildest  of  them,  for  the  depth  of  heart  which  never  failed  to  make 
him  a  friend  of  all  disposed  to  do  right.  His  strong  hold  upon  the 
public,  also,  especially  upon  the  church,  gave  him  a  power  in  behalf 
of  the  college,  only  surpassed  by  his  unrivalled  skill  in  canvassing  for 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  Sj 

patronage.  Finding  the  institution  with  about  eighty  students,  he 
soon  greatly  increased  the  number,  and  kept  it  at  a  high  figure  to  the 
end  of  his  service.  In  every  other  respect,  also,  the  college  was  ad- 
vanced. During  the  twenty-three  years  of  his  presidency,  the  gradu- 
ates numbered  seven  hundred  and  seventy-two,  or  an  average,  for  the 
whole  period,  of  thirty-five.  Of  all  these,  it  is  said  that  nearly 
one-half  entered  the  ministry,  and  not  a  few  went  forth  as  foreign 
missionaries.  In  word  and  deed  he  was  a  promoter  of  revivals,  and 
rejoiced  in  at  least  two  baptisms  of  great  power  through  his  ministry, 
both  in  the  college  and  the  church,  of  which  for  fifteen  years  he  acted 
as  pastor.  That  of  1834-5  will  be  recalled  by  some  here  present  as 
the  spiritual  birth-time  of  many  heralds  of  salvation,  some  of  whom 
echoed  his  messages  on  heathen  shores.  Surely  the  seal  of  heaven  is 
upon  the  work  of  those  years.  It  must  have  been  grateful  to  his 
heart,  that  upon  the  occurrence  of  the  first  simultaneous  vacancy  in 
tlie  college  and  church  at  Washington,  six  years  after  leaving  that 
place,  he  was  cordially  invited  to  resume  his  old  position  in  each. 
He  ever  continued  to  love  that  community,  and  the  church  of  which 
he  had  been  the  first  pastor.  And  there,  by  his  own  request,  his 
body  was  laid  down  to  rest  beside  beloved  dust,  after  his  spirit  had 
been  called,  July  29,  1853,  at  the  venerable  age  of  seventy-seven 
years,  to  its  glorious  rest. 

The  Rev.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  of  Kentucky, 
succeeded  Dr.  Brown  upon  his  resignation  in  1845,  and  for  two 
years  gave  to  the  college  the  benefit  of  his  great  name  and  brilliant 
talents.  But  the  government  of  a  college  not  proving  congenial  to 
his  taste  any  more  than  suitable  to  his  gifts,  he  returned  to  his  be- 
loved native  State  in  1847,  having  graduated  two  classes,  number- 
ing in  all  ninety-six  members.  A  portion  of  his  remaining  life  was 
spent  as  a  professor  in  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  at 
Danville. 

Next  in  order  comes  an  alumnus  of  1825,  in  the  person  of  that 
noble  Christian  gentleman,  refined  scholar,  and  eloquent  preacher, 
the  Rev.  Alexander  Blaine  Brown,  D.D.,  son  of  Dr.  Matthew 
Brown.  After  serving  for  six  years  as  Professor  of  Belles  Lettres 
and  adjunct  Professor  of  Languages — four  of  them  before  the  retire- 
ment of  his  venerable  father — ^he  was  advanced  to  the  presidency  in 
1847,  and  filled  it  with  great  credit  and  success  for  nine  years,  when 


86  PRESBYTER/AN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

failing  health  compelled  the  exchange  of  labor  for  rest.  A  kind 
Providence,  however,  permitted  him,  the  balance  of  his  life,  to  open 
the  Gospel  to  a  loving  people  as  pastor  of  the  Centre  Church.  The 
cross  was  given  up  for  the  crown  in  1863.  He  lives  still  in  many 
hearts.  Four  hundred  and  fifty-three  diplomas  bear  his  signature, 
equal  to  fifty  for  each  year. 

In  turn,  two  eminent  gentlemen  succeeded  in  this  important 
office,  viz.,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Alden,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  author  of  standard 
works  on  Mental  Philosophy  and  the  Science  of  Government,  and 
the  Rev.  David  H.  Riddle,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  the  former  for  five,  and 
the  latter  for  three  years,  extending  to  the  union  of  the  colleges. 
Both  of  these  presidents  did  honorable  service  in  this  office,  sus- 
taining well  the  prosperity  of  the  college,  and  now  occupy  places  of 
prominence  and  usefulness.  Dr.  Riddle  is  an  alumnus  of  the  class 
of  1823.     He  was  a  son-in-law  of  Dr.  M.  Brown. 

In  such  a  sketch  of  sixty-three  years,  it  would  be  impossible  to  do 
justice  to  the  long  line  of  professors  so  identified  with  this  history. 
They  were  generally  men  of  very  creditable  ability  as  well  as 
fidelity,  and  their  names  shall  not  perish  from  the  college  records, 
nor  from  the  hearts  of  the  alumni.  Of  such  are  John  H.  Kennedy, 
Henry  Snyder,  Samuel  R.  Williams,  and  Robert  W.  Orr,  among  the 
dead;  and  Aaron  Williams,  D.D.,  Robert  Patterson,  John  Frazer, 
Samuel  Jones,  and  Alonzo  Linn,  among  the  living — all  except  two 
distinguished  sons  of  the  college,  as  well  as  professors.  But  fidelity 
to  truth,  as  well  as  deference  to  the  affectionate  memories  of  forty- 
four  classes,  must  claim  distinct  notice  of  William  Smith,  D.D.,  a 
graduate  of  1819,  an  honored  Professor  of  Languages  from  182 1 
until  the  union  of  1865,  and  still  a  venerated  servant  of  God,  in 
the  full  use  of  his  fjiculties,  looking  for  his  Lord's  coming.  Of  the 
1,890  graduates  of  these  years,  920  entered  the  ministry,  408  be- 
became  lawyers,  193  have  been  physicians,  and  368  have  turned  to 
other  occupations.  About  one-third  of  the  whole  number  have 
ended  the  work  of  life.  The  survivors  are  dispensing  the  benefits 
gathered  along  the  line  of  two  human  generations. 

Returning  once  more  to  the  other  branch,  before  brought  down 
to  the  suspension  of  1828,  we  may  trace  the  new  life  of  Washington 
College  through  a  period  of  thirty-five  years.  The  interval  of  sus- 
pension had  brought  to  Washington,  as  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  87 

church,  just  the  man  to  re-organize  the  college,  in  the  person  of  the 
Rev.  David  Elliott,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  a  graduate  of  Dickinson  College 
in  1808,  then  in  his  forty-third  year,  having  been  a  pastor  at  Mer- 
cersburg,  Pennsylvania,  for  seventeen  years.  With  the  college  as 
well  as  the  church  in  view,  he  had  been  recommended  by  his  ad- 
miring friend.  Dr.  Matthew  Brown,  on  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Oba- 
diah  Jennings  in  order  to  accept  a  call  to  the  church  of  Nashville, 
Tennessee.  And  the  nobleness  of  both  these  eminent  men,  Drs. 
Brown  and  Elliott,  is  revealed  in  the  fact  that  the  most  untiring  de- 
votion of  each  to  these  rival  interests  never  cast  a  shadow  over  their 
confidential  friendship.  Dr.  Elliott  peremptorily  declined  the  offered 
Presidency,  and  only  yielded,  at  last,  as  a  temporary  expedient, 
until  a  permanent  successor  could  be  obtained.  He  opened  the 
college  accordingly,  November  2d,  1830,  with  two  Professors  and 
some  twenty  boys  of  the  vicinity,  exalted  into  students.  His  own 
resolution,  however,  inspired  confidence ;  his  vigorous  administra- 
tion and  extensive  correspondence  soon  made  the  college  known, 
and  the  third  session  ended  with  a  collegiate  roll  of  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  young  men,  each  class  being  respectably  filled.  Mean- 
while, by  a  visit  to  Harrisburg,  he  had  secured  an  annual  State  ap- 
propriation of  $500  for  five  years,  to  support  a  department  for  the 
special  education  of  teachers.  At  that  stage  of  progress,  he  handed 
over  the  institution  to  the  successor  of  his  own  nomination,  the  Rev. 
David  McConaughy,  D.D.,  LL.  D.,  an  alumnus  of  Dickinson,  of 
1 795 ,  called  from  the  pastorate  at  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
spring  of  1832. 

Dr.  McConaughy's  administration  partook  of  the  moral  dignity 
of  his  character,  without  sensational  or  spasmodic  effort.  His  resig- 
nation, in  September,  1849,  was  followed  by  his  peaceful  death  at 
his  home  in  Washington,  January  29,  1852,  "  in  the  seventy-seventh 
year  of  his  life,  and  the  fiftieth  of  his  ministry."  The  survivors  of 
three  hundred  and  eighty-eight  alumni  who  passed  under  his  care 
can  never  forget  the  scholarly  ability  of  his  instructions  nor  the 
godly  conversation  which  give  the  beauty  of  holiness  to  his  life. 
Still  less  will  they  forget  the  extraordinary  fervor  of  his  prayers  in 
their  behalf,  so  often  evinced  by  tremulous  tones  and  flowing  tears. 
Copying  the  portrait  drawn  of  him  after  death  by  the  hand  of  his 
discerning  friend  and  immediate  predecessor,  we  may  well  say  that 


68  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

if  indeed  "as  it  regarded  direct  personal  activity  abroad,  and  tacti- 
cal skill  in  meeting  sudden  emergencies  connected  with  the  govern- 
ment of  a  college,  he  may  have  lacked  some  of  the  qualities  desirable 
in  a  President,"  it  is  equally  certain  that  "  his  commanding  talents, 
his  extensive  and  accurate  scholarship,  his  unwavering  integrity, 
his  purity  of  motive,  his  paternal  care  and  affectionate  regard  for  his 
pupils,  the  dignity  and  uniformity  of  his  deportment,  and  the  cap- 
tivating benevolence  of  his  disposition — in  a  word,  the  concentrated 
force  of  the  many  and  rare  qualities  which  clustered  around  his 
character,  gave  him  a  power  and  control  over  the  public  mind  and 
over  the  hearts  of  the  young  men,  against  which  these  few  incidental 
defects  presented  but  slight  resistance." 

Dr.  McConaughy's  successor  was  the  Rev.  James  Clark,  D.D., 
then  called  from  a  pastorate  in  Belvidere,  New  Jersey,  and  now  a 
resident  of  Philadelphia.  Upon  his  resignation,  in  July,  1852,  after 
a  service  of  two  years  in  the  college,  that  he  might  accept  a  call 
to  Lewisburg,  Pennsylvania,  a  temporary  administration,  coupled 
with  a  laborious  pastorate,  of  which  others,  if  necessary,  but  surely 
not  myself,  might  speak,  carried  the  institution  to  the  annual  com- 
mencement in  September,  1853. 

The  inauguration  of  the  Rev.  John  W.  Scott,  D.D.,  of  the  Jeffer- 
son class  of  1827,  as  President  of  Washington  College,  upon  the 
occasion  just  named,  marks  a  new  era  in  its  history.  A  special 
relation  had  just  been  formed  with  the  Synod  of  Wheeling,  the 
object  of  which  was  to  bring  collegiate  education  more  directly 
under  the  influence  of  religion  and  the  church.  Under  that  system 
the  management  of  the  institution  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the 
Trustees,  as  before,  but  in  consideration  of  the  revenue  derived 
from  an  endowment  of  $60,000,  as  well  as  other  funds  raised  also  by 
the  Synod,  that  body  had  the  nomination  of  members  of  the  Board 
and  the  Faculty,  and  from  the  persons  thus  nominated  the  Board 
elected.  The  arrangement  was  indeed  denominational,  in  the  sense 
of  a  more  positive  religious  influence,  coupled  with  systematic  study 
of  the  Bible,  and,  in  the  case  of  Presbyterian  students,  a  like  study 
of  the  standards  of  the  church.  But  from  this  last  course  all  who 
so  preferred  were  excused,  and  beyond  this,  also,  the  largest  liberty 
and  exemption  from  sectarian  influence  known  in  other  colleges 
was  allowed.     Justice  to  truth  demands  the  statement  that,  under 


^  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

the  pecuniary  value  of  collegiate  education.  The  cost  of  living, 
which  was  doubled,  if  not  trebled,  by  the  civil  war  of  1 86 1-5, 
demanded  as  a  necessity  a  reduction  of  the  working  force  or  else 
a  great  increase  of  funds.  The  large  benefactions  to  colleges  in  the 
East,  as  the  fruit  of  fortunes  accumulated  during  the  war,  produced 
a  competition  in  buildings,  appliances,  and  new  professorships,  such 
as  had  never  been  known  before.  Unwonted  facilities  for  travel 
and  transportation,  also,  made  access  to  all  institutions  easy,  and 
reduced  their  cost  to  substantially  the  same  level.  Both  Jefferson 
and  Washington,  in  these  circumstances  and  with  the  experience  of 
reduced  finances,  must  be  speedily  lifted  out  of  their  perils,  or  look 
the  question  of  life  or  death  in  the  face.  No  important  help  coming 
to  either,  a  donation  of  150,000  was  offered  by  the  Rev.  Charles  C. 
Beatty,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  on  condition  of  union.  It  was  followed  with 
the  proposed  surrender,  on  the  same  condition,  of  the  ecclesiastical 
relation  of  Washington  College  by  the  Synod,  and  the  tender  of  the 
perpetual  use  of  its  endowment  to  the  united  college,  so  long  as  it 
should  continue  to  be  Protestant  and  evangelical.  Even  then,  the 
two  Boards  were  reluctant,  and  only  consented  under  the  resistless 
force  of  public  sentiment,  concentrated  by  the  joint  action  of  the 
alumni,  at  the  last  moment  of  the  crisis. 

The  union  thus  effected  under  a  legislative  act,  dated  March  4, 
1865,  was  a  step  forward,  but  it  proved  to  be  incomplete  and  unsatis- 
factory. The  corporations  were  merged  into  one,  the  departments 
and  classes  were  apportioned  and  separately  conducted  at  the  two 
former  localities,  but  with  the  effect  of  undue  expense,  a  want  of 
unity,  an^  the  old  rivalry  more  or  less  continued.  The  Presidents 
of  the  old  colleges,  Drs.  Scott  and  Riddle,  gracefully  retired,  in 
order  that  the  unity  of  the  future  might  be  represented  fairly  in  the 
person  of  a  new  President,  whose  antecedents  were  identified  with 
neither  institution.  In  due  time  the  choice  fell  upon  the  Rev.  Jona- 
than Edwards,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  an  alumnus  of  South  Hanover  Col- 
lege of  the  class  of  1835,  and  twenty  years  afterwards  its  President, 
but  then  pastor  of  the  West  Arch  Street  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Philadelphia,  a  gentleman  of  the  finest  talents  and  culture.  His 
inauguration,  April  4th,  1866,  was  followed  by  an  honest  effort  on 
his  part,  seconded  by  the  Faculty  and  Trustees,  to  make  the  experi- 
ment a  success,  but  the  complicated  system  was  inseparable  from 


i'fwtoifTiZph  0^'  t '.  JlitiAur^T 


Fi-jroitd  by  o.i,;uui  S j.  !,://  ■ 


M\i9ui»rjf^lk^ommtil4.<W7ti^^S^fltgS^im4iniiiin^MtiUyl9^^  /fe"/ 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  gi 

difficulties  which  could  not  be  overcome.  After  three  years  of  able 
service  the  President  resigned,  April  20th,  1869,  to  accept  a  pastoral 
charge  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  having  introduced  one  hundred  and 
thirty-four  graduates  into  the  goodly  company  of  the  alumni. 
Again,  however,  the  clamor  had  arisen  for  further  change,  and 
neither  patrons  nor  alumni  would  be  satisfied  without  it.  Nothing 
would  answer  the  demand  short  of  absolute  consolidation  at  one 
place.  The  Trustees  again  hesitated,  but  finally  yielded  to  a  neces- 
sity, and  by  careful  steps  reached,  with  singular  unanimity,  a  plan 
which  found  its  expression  in  an  amended  charter  of  February  26th, 
1869,  which  of  itself  settled  every  question  except  that  of  location. 
This  question,  after  a  competition  opened  to  any  place  in  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  was  to  be  settled  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  Board 
within  sixty  days,  or,  on  their  failure,  by  the  voice  of  four  out  of 
five  disinterested  arbitrators  upon  whom  two-thirds  of  the  Board 
might  agree.  It  was,  however,  settled  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the 
Trustees  on  the  20th  of  .April,  1869,  in  favor  of  Washington. 
Among  the  inducements  offered  by  that  community  was  a  subscrip- 
tion of  $50,000  to  the  funds  of  the  institution.  It  is  worthy  of 
notice  that  other  donations  have  since  followed  from  the  same  com- 
munity, including  the  endowment  of  an  additional  professorship 
by  Francis  J.  Lemoyne,  M.D.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Beatty  has  also 
added  to  his  former  munificent  benefaction  the  endowment  of  the 
professorship  of  Greek.  For  a  time  litigation,  attended  with  the 
restraint  of  an  "  injunction,"  arrested  the  progress  of  the  consolida- 
tion, but  in  due  time  it  was  sanctioned  by  the  highest  courts  of 
Pennsylvania  and  of  the  United  States.  During  the  interval  of 
legal  contest,  Professor  Samuel  J.  Wilson,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  of  the 
Western  Theological  Seminary,  exercised  the  office  of  President  for 
one  session  at  Canonsburg,  and  the  present  speaker  in  like  manner 
for  the  following  year  at  Washington.  But  at  the  Commencement 
in  1870,  the  way  for  permanent  reorganization  having  been  suffi- 
ciently opened,  the  Rev.  George  P.  Hays,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the 
Central  Presbyterian  Church  of  Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  an  alumnus  of 
the  Jefferson  class  of  1857,  was  elected  President,  and  other  corre- 
sponding changes  were  made.  The  inauguration  took  place  in  the 
Town  Hall  at  Washington,  on  the  evening  of  September  21st,  1870, 
in   the   presence  of  a  large  assembly  composed  of  the  Trustees, 


Q3  FKESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


Faculty,  students,  citizens,  and  strangers.  The  oath  of  office  was 
administered  by  the  Hon.  William  McKennan,  Judge  of  the  Third 
Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States. 

The  five  years  which  have  since  elapsed  have  been  marked  with 
very  commendable  energy  in  the  President  and  his  associates,  in  the 
Faculty  as  well  as  in  the  Board,  and  have  witnessed  gradual  recovery 
from  the  depressing  effects  of  the  contest  at  law.  The  respective 
chairs  are  ably  filled ;  the  several  classes  have  again  come  up  to 
strength;  the  interest-bearing  endowment  funds  amount  to  ^180,000  ; 
and  a  new  college  building,  valued,  together  with  the  ground,  at 
$125,000,  has  been  erected  and  dedicated,  which,  in  beauty  and 
adaptation,  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the  succession  of  struc- 
tures in  both  localities  under  the  old  system  of  things.  All  of 
these  advancements  simply  represent  the  purpose  of  a  new  begin- 
ning, and  invite  public  confidence  to  the  future. 

Such  a  record  of  work  and  fruits  this  Centenary  offers  in  evidence, 
that  the  sacred  trust  of  liberal  education  in  behalf  of  God  and  hu- 
manity, taken  up  by  John  McMillan  and  his  associates  one  hundred 
years  ago,  has  been  faithfully  prosecuted.  We  have  traced  it  down, 
though  imperfectly,  in  this  legitimate  succession  from  their  hands, 
to  show  the  marvellous  goodness  of  God  in  its  preservation  and  pro- 
gress. From  the  smallest  beginnings  amidst  the  throes  of  the  na- 
tion's birth,  there  has  been  advancement  upon  the  line  of  the  cove- 
nant of  our  fathers  with  Heaven,  until  we  have  come  to  a  crisis  of 
blended  history  and  hope,  when  the  enterprise  we  have  sketched 
offers  its  share  of  lustre  to  the  crown  of  a  century  about  to  be 
placed  upon  the  nation's  head.  But,  best  of  all  the  trophies  of  the 
college  for  this  complete  cycle,  are  the  achievements  in  the  service 
of  patriotism,  humanity,  and  religion  so  nobly  won  by  her  three 
thousand  alumni.  Two-thirds  of  their  number  yet  survive  to  cele- 
brate the  wonderful  progress  of  their  country,  and  the  still  grander 
work  of  the  Church  of  God,  whilst  they  rejoice,  along  with  count- 
less multitudes,  that  their  Alma  Mater  has  been  honored  in  the  train- 
ing of  so  large  a  proportion  of  the  effective  agents  in  every  depart- 
ment of  responsibility  and  usefulness.  It  is  no  mean  account  which 
credits  thirteen  hundred  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  seven  hundred 
lawyers,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  physicians,  to  these  institutions ; 
and  all  of  these  have  gone  forth  to  serve  their  generation  in  these . 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY,  Qj 


noble  professional  callings  as  leaders  in  society,  a  very  large  pro- 
portion of  them  going  with  the  tide  of  emigration  from  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  adjacent  regions,  to  people  and  elevate  the  great 
States  of  the  West.  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  of  the  six  hundred 
and  four  ministers  in  the  four  Synods  represented  in  this  Conven- 
tion, two  hundred  and  twenty-nine,  or  more  than  one-third,  are 
sons  of  this  college.  But  it  is  a  no  less  significant  token  that  to  the 
same  graduation  rolls  we  may  trace  forty-four  presidents  of  colleges, 
seventy  professors  of  colleges,  and  twenty  two  professors  of  theolo- 
gical seminaries,  together  with  some  twenty-five  principals  of  fe- 
male seminaries,  and  a  countless  number  of  principals  of  academies  ? 
Many  of  these  have  been  in  the  front  rank  of  educators,  and  the 
institutions  with  which  they  have  been  connected  have  been  largely 
of  the  first  class.  And  besides  these,  three  have  been  Governors  of 
States,  five  United  States  Senators,  three  Cabinet  officers,  forty-five 
Representatives  in  Congress,  and  fifty-one  Judges.  Neither  history 
nor  calculation  can  give  the  wider  results  with  accuracy  upon  such 
a  scale  of  operations.  But  surely,  in  the  light  of  such  facts,  whilst 
allowing  to  others  their  just  share  of  the  work  of  the  century  we 
commemorate,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  educational  policy 
of  Western  Pennsylvania  was  initiated  by  the  sainted  fathers  of  the 
Redstone  Presbytery,  and  that  their  descendants  have,  in  a  large 
proportion,  directed  and  controlled  it  unto  this  day.  May  no  in- 
fidelity to  such  a  trust  work  its  forfeiture  ! 


OTHER  INSTITUTIONS.* 

Having  thus  followed  the  stream  of  this  history  down  through  its 
direct  channels  from  the  times  of  the  fathers  until  now,  it  yet  re- 
mains to  trace  some  of  the  collateral  branches,  which  have  originated 

*  It  is  proper  to  explain  that  before  delivery,  the  following  part  of  this 
address  was,  upon  the  advice  of  honored  brethren,  enlarged  beyond  it."* 
original  conception,  and  that  it  has  been  still  further  enlarged  since,  at 
the  earnest  solicitation  of  many  who  are  entitled  to  represent  the  wishes 
of  those  for  whose  benefit  these  proceedings  and  their  publication  were 
intended.    This  apology  for  length  will,  it  is  hoped,  be  accepted. 

J.  I.  B. 


g4  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

more  or  less,  at  different  times,  in  the  same  influence,  and  have 
yielded  large  contributions  to  the  same  general  results.  It  could 
not  be  otherwise  than  that  men  of  liberal,  and  especially  Christian, 
education  should  carry  with  them  the  like  benefits  into  the  places  of 
their  life  and  labor.  How  the  institutions  already  sketched  have 
reproduced  their  culture  in  scores  of  others  through  the  patronage 
and  even  the  direct  agency  of  their  pupils,  has  already  been  hinted. 
In  common  with  other  educated  men,  and  largely  in  their  own  right, 
they  have  done  much  to  shape  the  education  of  their  country,  espe- 
cially in  the  Western  and  Southern  States.  But  we  must  refrain 
from  entering  so  large  a  field,  and  limit  ourselves  to  the  sphere 
covered  by  the  labors  of  the  early  fathers,  or  that  chiefly  embraced 
in  the  limits  of  the  original  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  as  well  as  subject  to 
its  influence.  And  of  such  institutions,  foregoing  even  the  mention 
of  many  of  great  usefulness,  whose  general  relation  to  the  commu- 
nity allow  no  other  claim  of  Presbyterians  to  the  honor  of  their 
work  than  that  of  hearty  and  effective  co-operation,  we  may  speak 
only  of  such  as,  directly  or  indirectly,  have  had  important  connec- 
tion with  the  church  of  our  love.  Let  it  be  remembered,  however, 
that  only  a  few  of  such  institutions  have  been  or  are  under  eccle- 
siastical control,  and  none  even  of  them  have  been  exclusive,  in  any 
sense.  When  our  ministers  and  members  have  borne  the  burden  of 
support  and  responsibility,  the  advantages  of  education  have  been  as 
free  to  others  as  themselves. 

COLLEGES 

may  very  properly  claim  our  first  attention.  One  of  these,  the 
Western  University  at  Pittsburgh,  scarcely  comes  within  the  rule 
here  prescribed,  but  by  location  and  actual  merit  deserves  a  passing 
mention.  Its  general  relation  to  the  community  forbids  Presbyte- 
rians to  claim  its  work,  in  any  peculiar  sense,  as  their  own.  Yet, 
in  fact,  its  succession  of  Presidents,  from  its  establishment  in  1819 
to  the  present  time,  with  one  exception  extending  over  a  space  of  six 
years,  have  been  representatives  of  one  or  other  of  the  Presbyterian 
churches.  Its  present  very  efficient  President,  George  Woods, 
LL.D.,  confesses  the  same  faith  with  ourselves,  and  the  President  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  is  the  Rev  William  D.  Howard,  D.D.,  pastor 
of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburgh,  and  a  Vice-Presi- 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  qs^ 


dent  of  this  Convention.  Presbyterians,  by  circumstances  rather 
than  by  rule,  have  most  largely  sustained  and  managed  it — a  fact 
not  likely  to  be  changed,  since  the  large  proportion  of  its  handsome 
endowment  has  lately  come  from  that  source.  Standing  in  the  most 
general  attitude,  and  having  other  objects  more  prominent,  the  ranks 
of  the  ministry  have  also  profited  by  its  excellent  instructions. 

Allegheny  College,  at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  has  a  history 
not  the  most  creditable  to  the  enterprise  of  Presbyterians,  however 
it  may  redound  to  the  credit  of  a  worthy  sister  denomination. 
It  received  its  impulse  from  the  Meadville  Academy,  which  was  char- 
tered in  1805,  and  at  first  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Stockton, 
the  first  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  that  place.  The  col- 
lege was  chartered  ten  years  later  by  the  Legislature,  which  also 
made  a  donation  to  it  of  ^2,000  at  the  same  time.  Its  first  Presi- 
dent was  the  Rev.  Timothy  Alden,  D.D.,  who,  strangely  enough, 
during  most  of  his  service  of  sixteen  years,  was  the  whole  Faculty, 
as  well  being  "  Professor  of  Oriental  Languages,  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory and  Theology,"  with  the  further  charge  to  give  instruction  "as 
occasion  might  require,"  in  *'all  the  branches  of  Literature  and 
Science  !"  Dr.  Alden's  zeal  secured  donations  to  the  library  of 
eight  thousand  volumes  from  Drs.  Bentley  and  Thomas,  and  the  Hon. 
James  Winthrop,  all  of  Massachusetts,  making  one  of  the  finest  col- 
lections in  the  country  at  that  time.  By  means  of  private  benefac- 
tions and  another  gift  of  $5,000  from  the  State,  buildings  were 
erected.  But  though  the  college  abounded  in  Trustees  to  the  num- 
ber oi fifty,  and  dispensed  honorary  degrees  with  a  lavish  hand,  its 
graduates  were  comprehended  in  three  or  four  small  classes,  and,  a 
portion  of  the  time,  instruction  was  suspended.  An  earnest  effort 
to  invigorate  the  college  was  made  in  1829  by  the  addition  of  the 
Rev.  David  McKinney  (now  the  venerable  Dr.  McKinney)  and 
Reynall  Coates,  M.D.,  to  its  Faculty.  But  the  discouragement  and 
resignation  of  these  gentlemen  the  next  year,  was  followed  by  nego- 
tiations which,  in  1833,  resulted  in  the  transfer  of  the  institution  to 
the  Pittsburgh  Annual  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Possibly,  this  end  was  unavoidable.  Some  eccentricities  in  the 
President  may  have  counteracted  his  industry.  A  greater  hindrance 
may  have  been  found  in  the  attachment  of  surrounding  ministers 
and  other  educated  men  to  other  colleges,  especially  those  of  Wasli- 


g6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

ington  county.  But  wounded  pride  may  find  compensation  in  the 
hope  that  the  superstructure,  reared  by  others  upon  foundations  laid 
by  Presbyterian  hands,  may  ever  stand  for  our  country's  good  and 
the  glory  of  our  common  Lord. 

Franklin  College,  located  at  New  Athens,  Ohio,  has  completed 
an  existence  of  half  a  century.  Its  charter  is  dated  January  22, 
1825,  The  Rev.  William  McMillan,  D.D.,  formerly  President  of 
Jefferson  College,  was  chosen  as  its  first  President  in  the  following 
spring.  A  successful  administration  of  seven  years,  with  the  sole 
assistance  of  Professor  John  Armstrong  in  the  chair  of  mathematics, 
came  to  an  end  by  Dr.  McMillan's  death.  He  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Richard  Campbell,  and  then  by  the  Rev.  John  Welsh,  each  of 
whom  retired,  after  brief  service,  to  die  of  consumption.  The  Rev. 
Joseph  Smith,  D.D.  (author  of  "Old  Redstone"),  began,  in  1837, 
a  service  in  this  office,  which  for  a  time  was  marked  with  much  ad- 
vancement and  promise,  as  shown  in  the  addition  of  a  professorship 
and  other  enlargement.  But  the  anti-slavery  agitation  just  then 
rose  to  its  height,  and  had  New  Athens  as  one  of  its  centres.  Presi- 
dent Smith  yielded  to  the  fierce  strife,  and  accepted  a  like  position 
in  Frederick  College,  Maryland.  The  Rev.  William  Burnett  suc- 
ceeded him,  but  in  one  year,  for  like  causes,  the  President  and  all 
the  Professors  resigned,  leaving  the  college  without  a  Faculty.  At 
this  crisis  the  special  enemies  of  slavery  gained  ascendancy  and  re- 
organized the  institution,  with  the  Rev.  Edwin  H.  Nevin,  D.D.,  as 
President,  assisted  by  two  professors.  The  popular  talents  of  the  Presi- 
dent, backed  by  the  determined  spirit  of  his  supporters,  withstood 
many  difficulties,  even  the  sale  of  the  college  property  for  debt  under 
the  sheriff's  hammer,  until  1845,  when  he  accepted  a  pastorate  in 
Cleveland.  His  successor,  the  Rev.  Alexander  D.  Clark,  D.D., 
ended  a  labor  of  sixteen  years  of  comparative  success  by  his  trans- 
fer, in  1862,  to  Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  to  devote  himself  wholly  to  a 
professorship  in  the  United  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary,  the 
duties  of  which  he  had  performed  a  part  of  each  year  during  most 
of  his  Presidency.  During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  and  until  1868, 
the  college  had  a  feeble  existence  without  a  head,  but  then  the  Rev. 
R.  G.  Campbell  combined  these  duties  with  those  of  his  pastorate 
for  a  period  of  three  years,  when  he  yielded  his  place  to  the  present 
incumbent,  A.  F.  Ross,  LL.D.     Of  these  Presidents,  Messrs.  Mc- 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  qj 


Millan,  Richard  Campbell,  Smith,  and  Nevin  were  Presbyterian 
ministers ;  the  rest,  except  the  present  one,  were  ministers  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  or  the  bodies  now  composing  it. 

President  Ross,  though  not  a  minister,  has  long  been  a  worthy 
ruling  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  brought  to  the  college 
a  fine  reputation  for  talents  and  scholarship,  and  much  experience  as 
a  professor  in  other  institutions.  Under  his  management,  should  the 
present  effort  to  secure  an  endowment  succeed,  we  may  look  for  fu- 
ture stability  and  progress.  Of  the  more  than  three  hundred  alumni 
of  the  college,  at  least  two-thirds  have  gone  into  the  ministry  of  the 
Gospel,  being  divided  chiefly  between  the  two  Presbyterian  bodies 
from  which  it  has  drawn  its  support.  Many  others  have  reached 
high  stations  in  public  life  as  civilians. 

Western  Reserve  College  is  located  at  Hudson,  in  North-East- 
ern  Ohio.  The  date  of  its  charter  is  February  7,  1826.  It  was 
founded  by  the  three  Presbyteries  of  Grand  River,  Portage,  and 
Huron,  for  the  distinct  purpose  of  educating  young  men  for  the 
ministry.  These  Presbyteries,  formed  under  the  "Plan  of  Union," 
included  all  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  Churches  of  the 
Connecticut  Western  Reserve.  The  happy,  reunion  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  after  a  division  covering  the  period  of  a  generation, 
and  the  consequent  reconstruction  of  its  ecclesiastical  bodies,  have 
placed  this  college  within  the  limits  of  one  of  the  Synods  com- 
posing this  convention.  This  blending  of  forces  also  joins  it  in 
closer  sympathy  than  ever  before  with  the  other  institutions  now 
passing  under  review,  alike  in  the  sphere  and  objects  of  their 
great  work.  Its  scholarly  and  excellent  President,  the  Rev.  Car- 
roll Cutler,  D.D.,  like  his  worthy  predecessor,  the  late  Rev.  Henry 
Lawrence  Hitchcock,  D.D.,  is  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  and 
Synod  of  Cleveland.  Their  two  only  predecessors  were  Presbyte- 
rians also. 

The  Rev.  Charles  Backus  Storrs,  D.D.,  was  Professor  of  Theology 
in  the  institution  as  early  as  1828,  or  two  years  before  he  became  the 
first  President  of  the  Faculty.  He  gave  place,  in  1833,  to  the  Rev. 
George  Edmond  Pierce,  D.D.,  and  he  in  turn  to  Dr.  Hitchcock,  in 
1855.  Dr.  Cutler  has  been  President  since  18  71.  A  distinct  Theo- 
logical Department  was  conducted  from  1830  until  1854.  since  which 

time  "theology  has  been  taught  here,  as  in  other  colleges,  only  so 
G 


g8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

far  as  it  is  a  part  of  a  liberal  education."  A  Medical  Department 
was  established  in  Cleveland  in  1844,  which  is  still  in  operation.  The 
catalogue  for  the  past  year  contains  the  names  of  seventy-two  aca- 
demic students,  eighty  medical,  and  Jifty-four  in  the  preparatory 
school.  Of  about  four  hundred  graduates  of  the  college  proper, 
one-third  have  entered  the  Christian  ministry,  and  a  fair  proportion 
are  in  preparation  for  it.  Fourteen  have  become  foreign  missiona- 
ries. Ninety-nine  are,  or  have  been,  pastors  of  Presbyterian  churches, 
and  seventeen  more  became  such,  who,  without  academic  gradua- 
tion, studied  theology  under  the  professors.  Six  alumni  are  in  theo- 
logical seminaries  as  candidates  for  the  Presbyterian  ministry.  The 
present  endowment  is  chiefly  the  gift  of  Presbyterians.  One  of  the 
professors  is  a  minister  of  the  Congregational  Church.  The  trustees 
are  chiefly  Presbyterians  and  Congregationalists,  the  majority  being 
on  the  side  of  the  former.  The  college  is  reported  as  favorably  si- 
tuated, in  a  healthy  condition,  having  an  elevated  standard  of  schol- 
arship, and  possessing  a  high  character,  alike  in  the  ability  of  the 
professors  and  the  culture  of  the  alumni. 

WoosTER  University,  situated  at  the  town  of  the  same  name  in 
Wayne  county,  Ohio,  is  the  youngest  of  these  collegiate  institutions. 
It  was  "founded"  and  is  "owned  and  controlled  by  Ohio  Synods 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church."  But  while  standing  in  these  relations, 
it  claims  to  be  "under  constant  and  positive  rehgious  principles 
and  influences,"  and  yet  "without  sectarianism  or  restriction  of 
freedom  of  opinion." 

The  pioneer  settlers  in  the  region  of  this  university,  especially  the 
Presbyterians  among  them,  were  mostly  Scotch-Irish  immigrants 
from  Pennsylvania.  Their  ministers  were  in  the  largest  proportion 
educated  in  Jefferson  and  Washington  Colleges.  They  carried  with 
them  the  educational  as  well  as  religious  spirit  of  their  race.  The 
first  policy  of  the  State  appeared  in  the  establishment  of  Ohio  Uni- 
versity, at  Athens,  in  1804,  and  twenty  years  later,  in  the  charter  of 
Miami  University,  at  Oxford.  Presbyterians,  simply  by  means  of 
their  position  and  general  force  in  society,  wielded  a  controlling  in- 
fluence in  both.  But  a  deepening  anxiety  concerning  the  religious 
culture  so  essential  to  sound  collegiate  training,  was  a  natural  se- 
quence of  the  tenure  of  property  and  the  power  to  elect  trustees, 
both  held  by   the  Legislature.      Other  denominations  also  were 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  gg 


taking  care  of  their  own  interests  by  means  of  colleges  of  their  own. 
Self-preservation,  therefore,  demanded  distinct  action. 

Earnest  discussion,  in  these  circumstances,  among  leading  minis- 
ters and  others,  chief  among  whom  was  the  venerable  James  Hoge, 
D.D.,  of  Columbus,  led,  as  early  as  1847,  to  union  in  the  policy  of 
a  Synodical  College.  But  the  object  was  not  really  gained  until 
1866,  when  the  Synods  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  Sandusky  (O.  S.) 
came  to  agreement  in  the  establishment  of  the  University  at  Woos- 
ter.  The  liberal  offer  by  the  citizens  of  the  town  and  county  of  a 
site  of  twenty-one  acres,  together  with  a  subscription  of  $100,000 
for  building  purposes,  had  much  to  do  with  the  choice  of  a  location. 
An  energetic  canvass  of  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  the  State  pro- 
duced a  subscription  of  $260,000  to  the  endowment  fund.  And  the 
building  having  been  erected,  except  its  projected  wings,  the  col- 
lege was  formally  organized  in  1870.  A  faculty  was  then  installed, 
with  the  Rev.  Willis  Lord,  D.D.,  as  President.  At  the  same  time, 
Charity  Medical  Hospital  at  Cleveland,  having  fifty  students,  trans- 
ferred its  property  and  corporate  rights  to  the  young  university,  and 
became  its  medical  department.  Two  years  later  a  preparatory 
school  was  added.  Unlike  the  mother  colleges  of  Pennsylvania  aiKl 
the  older  States  generally,  the  co-education  of  the  sexes  was,  from 
the  first,  adopted  as  the  policy  of  this  institution. 

The  five  years  of  subsequent  history — the  names  and  boundaries 
of  the  controlling  Synods  having  meanwhile  been  changed  in  conse- 
quence of  the  reunion  of  the  church — have  shown  marked  success 
and  growing  public  favor.  The  students  have  been  largely  sons  of 
Ohio,  but  many  also  have  come  from  adjacent  States.  About  one- 
half  of  the  seventy-seven  graduates  from  the  collegiate  department 
have  devoted  themselves  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Dr.  Lord 
was  succeeded  in  1873,  ^7  the  Rev.  A.  A.  E.  Taylor,  D.D.,  under 
whose  spirited  presidency  the  university  is  going  forward  in  a  very 
encouraging  manner,  alike  in  numbers,  appliances,  and  all  the  other 
elements  of  success.  The  Faculty  embraces  a  full  number  of  pro- 
fessors, and  the  collegiate  students  for  the  year  1875  reached  the 
number  of  one  hundred  and  seventy,  including,  of  course,  young 
ladies  who  are  members  of  the  several  classes.  In  such  a  history, 
with  its  implied  promise,  all  true  friends  of  education,  religion,  and 
the  Presbyterian  Church  must  rejoice,  whilst  they  cordially  recognize 


roo  PRESD  YTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

in  the  new  university  one  of  the  forces  to  be  relied  upon,  under  the 
blessing  of  God,  for  the  joint  diffusion  of  thorough  culture,  sound 
views,  and  salutary  moral  and  religious  influence  over  our  whole 
country  and  the  world. 

From  colleges  we  now  come  to 

ACADEMIES. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  write  the  histories,  or  even  to  state  the 
names  and  localities  of  the  numerous  classical  schools  of  the  cen- 
tury past,  which  have  rendered  important  service  to  society,  as  well 
as  to  bur  own  and  other  branches  of  the  church,  in  requital  of  co- 
operative support.  Many  such  have  been  mainly  sustained  by  the 
influence  of  our  ministry  and  membership.  Few,  if  any,  others 
have  failed  to  receive  at  least  a  fair  proportion  of  patronage  from 
the  same  source.  Of  a  very  large  number  Presbyterian  ministers 
have  been  principals  or  teachers,  before  or  after  their  ordination. 
Yet,  in  a  large  number  of  such  cases,  it  would  be  unjust  to  other 
brethren  associated  in  the  same  enterprises  to  set  down  the  work 
and  results  to  the  credit  of  Presbyterianism.  Let  us  rather  forego 
a  measure  of  our  lawful  claim  than  "boast  of  things  without  our 
measure,  that  is,  of  other  men's  labors."  A  limited  selection,  there- 
fore, according  to  our  knowledge,  must  not  be  taken  as  implying 
disparagement  of  others,  not  less  worthy  of  recorded  history  in 
their  more  general  relations  and  work. 

The  first  in  order  is  the  academy  at  Greersburg,  now  Darlington, 
Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania. 

The  founder  of  this  school  was  the  Rev.  Thomas  Edgar  Hughes, 
who  was  born  April  7,  1769,  in  York  county,  Pa.,  prosecuted  his 
preparatory  studies  in  the  Canonsburg  Academy,  was  graduated  in 
the  college  at  Princeton  in  1797,  studied  theology  with  Dr.  McMil- 
lan, was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio  in  1 798,  and 
ordained  the  following  year  as  pastor  of  the  churches  of  Mount 
Pleasant  and  New  Salem,  in  Beaver  county.  He  was  the  first  pastor 
settled  north  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  the  Moderator  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Erie,  at  its  session  in  1806.  At  that  meeting,  held  in  one  of  his 
churches,  the  general  solicitude  in  behalf  of  education  found  expres  ■ 
sion  in  the  following  minute,  viz. :  "Presbytery  proceeded  to  take 
into  consideration  the  necessity  of  a  seminary  of  learning  being  in- 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  tOt 

stituted  within  their  bounds  for  the  education  of  youth,  resolved  to 
give  their  aid  to  erect  an  academy  at  Greersburg,  and  to  solicit  the 
aid  of  their  respective  charges."  It  is  the  impression  of  the  Rev. 
Wm.  Hughes,  the  second  of  four  honored  ministerial  sons  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  n'otice,  who  still  lives  at  Loudonville,  Ohio,  that  his  father 
opened  a  school  in  a  cabin  at  Greersburg,  which  was  within  his  pas- 
toral charge,  at  least  as  early  as  1803.  But,  as  an  organized  acade- 
my, under  the  fostering  care  of  the  Presbytery,  it  dated  from  1806, 
as  we  have  seen.  The  Legislature,  in  granting  its  charter,  also  made 
an  appropriation  to  it  of  six  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  Hughes  was  him- 
self the  first  teacher,  and  in  person  collected  funds  for  its  establish- 
ment, traveling,  for  this  purpose,  into  the  New  England  States  as  far 
as  Boston,  where,  besides  donations  in  money,  he  received  a  con- 
siderable library,  globes,  maps,  and  an  orrery.  In  1808,  Mr.  Hughes 
reported  to  the  Presbytery  the  collection  of  between  four  and  five 
hundred  dollars,  which  sum  was  by  that  body  appropriated  to  the  use 
of  young  men  preparing  for  the  Gospel  ministry.  From  1814  until 
1830,  the  school  was  taught  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  James  Rowland, 
Robert  Dilworth,  D.D.,  and  J.  R.  Cunningham,  respectively,  during 
their  preparation  for  licensure.  But  Mr.  Hughes  always  extended 
to  it  his  earnest  care,  and  the  students  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  his 
ministry,  and  of  the  powerful  revivals  with  which  it  was  blessed. 
Many  of  them  were  fitted  there  for  their  subsequent  course  in  Jeffer- 
son College,  whilst  others  passed  from  their  academical  training  at 
once,  under  the  same  instructor,  to  the  study  of  theology.  A  large 
number  of  them  became  effective  preachers  of  the  Gospel. 

One  incident,  hitherto  unpublished,  may  serve  to  illustrate  at  once 
the  spirit  of  the  founder  and  the  work  of  the  school.  Mr.  Hughes 
was  traveling  on  horseback  one  evening,  when  darkness  overtook 
him.  Passing  a  cottage,  he  heard  the  voice  of  a  female  pleading  in 
prayer  for  her  little  boys,  in  an  adjoining  garden,  and  dedicating 
them  to  God,  that  in  some  way  they  might  be  used  in  his  service. 
Learning  from  the  family  with  whom  he  lodged  that  night  some- 
thing of  that  mother  and  her  children,  he  made  special  arrangements 
for  the  education  of  one  of  them  at  the  academy.  That  Jittle  boy 
has  since  been  known  as  a  distinguished  minister  of  the  Gospel,  col- 
lege professor,  and  author  of  books,  under  the  name  of  William  H. 
McGuffey,  D.D.,  LL.D.     His  death,  not  long  since,  closed  an  ex- 


102  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

fended  service  of  high  honor  in  the  University  of  Virginia,  preceded 
by  a  similar  work  in  the  University  of  Ohio.  He  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1826,  of  Washington  College. 

The  Academy  of  West  Alexander,  in  Washington  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, was  organized  in  September,  1828,  by  the  Rev.  John  Mc- 
Cluskey,  D.D.,  an  alumnus  of  Jefferson  of  1822,  now  a  father  in  the 
church,  resident  in  Wooster,  Ohio,  but  then  a  young  minister  as- 
suming the  care  of  a  church  to  which  he  had  been  called  the  previous 
April.  Mr.  McCluskey,  aided  by  competent  teachers,  managed  the 
school  alone  until  1836,  when,  on  account  of  its  great  increase,  a 
board  of  trust  was  chosen  to  assist  him.  A  legislative  charter  was 
secured  in  1840,  and  in  1849  the  academy  was  formally  taken  under 
the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  Washington,  as,  at  once,  a  Parochial 
and  Presbyterial  institution.  The  resignation  of  his  pastoral  charge, 
in  1853,  passed  the  academy,  as  well  as  the  church,  from  the  hands 
of  Dr.  McCluskey  into  those  of  his  excellent  successor,  the  Rev. 
William  H.  Lester.  During  this  period,  covering  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  forty-four  ministers  of  the  Gospel  have  come  forth  from  that 
school,  thirty-two  of  whom  entered  the  service  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Fifteen  more  have  since  been  added.  Of  these,  and  others, 
not  a  few  were  hopefully  converted  while  they  were  at  the  academy. 
Diligent  teaching,  energetic  administration,  earnest  biblical  instruc- 
tion, and  the  genial  influence  of  religious  culture,  were  all  crowned 
with  rich  fruits.  The  reduction  of  expenses  to  the  lowest  possible 
point  brought  the  poor  side  by  side  with  the  rich  into  the  full  bene- 
fit so  freely  enjoyed.  Most  of  the  students  thus  trained  entered 
Washington  College,  and  are  now  numbered  among  her  sons. 

Simultaneously  with  the  opening  of  the  academy  at  West  Alexan- 
der, a  classical  school  was  established  (in  the  same  Presbytery)  at 
Cross  Creek,  the  site  of  Vance's  Fort,  so  prominent  in  Presbyterian 
history,  and  the  scene  of  the  labors  of  the  "silver-tongued"  Mar- 
quis, as  it  has  since  been  the  scene  of  the  ministry  of  the  venerable 
John  Stockton,  D.D.,  for  nearly  half  a  century.  This  school  was 
started  under  the  influence  of  Mr.  Stockton,  who  was  a  graduate  of 
Washington  College,  a  year  after  his  settlement  as  pastor.  Its  teach- 
ers, with  various  intervals,  were  Samuel  and  George  Marshall  (the  lat- 
ter a  son  of  Jefferson,  in  the  class  of  183 1,  and  afterwards  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Marshall,  of  Bethel),  Robert  McMillan,  and  Thomas  M.  C.  Stockton, 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  mj 


son  of  the  pastor.  Thirty  ministers  of  the  Gospel  came  forth  from 
that  school,  besides  several  others  from  the  congregation  in  which 
it  was  located.  Dr.  Marshall,  after  his  settlement  at  Bethel,  opened 
a  school  there,  which  was  also  largely  blessed  and  useful  in  the  same 
way. 

Eldersridge  Academy  was  founded  by  the  Rev.  Alexander  Don- 
aldson, D.D.,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  place  of  the 
same  name,  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania.  Dr.  Donaldson  was 
graduated  at  Jefferson  College  in  1835.  On  the  day  of  his  ordina- 
tion, June  21,  1839,  a  young  man  was  placed  under  his  care,  for 
study,  by  the  Presbytery.  Others  followed  during  a  period  of  seven 
years,  until  the  whole  number  thus  instructed  amounted  to  twenty- 
five,  nearly  one-half  of  whom  were  there  at  one  time.  At  this  point, 
under  the  urgency  of  his  old  and  honored  preceptor,  Dr.  Matthew 
Brown,  Mr.  Donaldson  formally  opened  an  academy,  on  April  16, 
1847,  having  for  his  assistant  Mr.  John  Barnett,  afterwards  an  alum- 
nus of  Jefferson  College,  of  the  class  of  1849,  ^"^^  ^^"^^  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Connellsville,  Pennsylvania.  Sixteen  students  appeared 
at  the  opening,  and  during  the  summer  a  small  frame  building  was 
erected,  at  a  cost  of  §300,  which  answered  the  purpose  of  a  school- 
room, until,  in  1853,  it  gave  place  to  a  brick  structure  of  two  stories, 
costing  $3,000. 

The  whole  number  of  students  connected  with  the  academy  up  to 
this  time  has  been  twelve  hundred  and  fifty,  of  whom  about  two 
hundred  were  young  ladies.  More  than  two  hundred  of  the  whole 
number  have  since  become  graduates — most  them  in  colleges,  and 
some  in  the  female  seminaries.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  have  "  con- 
fessed Christ  before  men  "  while  they  were  students  in  the  academy. 
Out  of  the  whole  number,  one  hundred  and  eighteen  have  entered 
the  Christian  ministry,  as  against  sixty-nine  who  have  entered  the 
medical  profession,  and  sixty-one  who  have  become  members  of  the 
bar.  Seven  have  gone,  in  holy  consecration,  as  foreign  missiona- 
ries, to  carry  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen.  In  1850  the  academy  was 
formally  transferred  to  the  care  of  the  Blairsville  Presbytery,  but 
this  connection  was  ended  by  the  formation  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Saltsburg,  in  1856,  in  the  bounds  of  which  it  was.  Then  it  fell 
back  with  its  educational  and  pecuniary  responsibilities  to  the  care 
of  the  principal,  as  before.     A  negotiation  is  now  pending  with  a 


104  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

view  to  its  transfer,  as  a  donation,  to  a  board  of  trustees,  who  are 
hereafter  to  hold  and  control  it,  selecting  its  principal  and  teachers. 
In  advance  of  a  charter,  the  building  is  undergoing  thorough  repair, 
and  other  arrangements  are  in  progress.  Dr.  Donaldson  will  still 
be  its  principal,  assisted  by  T.  B.  Elder,  A.B.,  and  S.  J.  Craighead, 
A.B.  Such  a  record  as  this  is  surely  worthy  of  a  place  in  these 
memorials  of  God's  blessing  upon  the  fidelity  of  his  consecrated  ser- 
vants. Will  it  not  enter  as  truly  into  that  history  to  be  unfolded 
when  the  Lord  himself  shall  come  to  make  up  his  jewels  ? 

Glade  Run  Academy,  situated  in  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and,  like  Eldersridge,  within  the  present  boundaries 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Kittanning,  next  claims  our  attention.  It 
was  founded  in  October,  1851,  by  the  Rev.  Cochran  Forbes,  then 
pastor  of  the  church  of  Glade  Run,  and  the  members  of  his  ses- 
sion. The  service  of  the  first  principal,  no^y  the  Rev.  John  M. 
Jones,  of  Markle,  Pennsylvania,  following  immediately  his  gradua- 
tion in  Washington  College,  extended  over  a  period  of  three  years, 
and,  being  renewed  in  1861,  was  continued  until  1868.  Du- 
ring the  remainder  of  the  whole  period,  now  approaching  a  quar- 
ter century,  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  sessions,  the 
charge  has  been  in  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Mechlin, 
D.D.,  the  present  pastor  of  the  church.  He  belonged  to  the  Jeffer- 
son class  of  1853.  Near  the  close  of  the  late  civil  war  a  building 
was  erected  by  friends  of  the  academy  to  increase  the  facilities  for 
cheap  and  comfortable  boarding,  into  which  all  disabled  soldiers 
were  received  without  room  rent,  and  another  building  for  the  same 
general  purpose  has  since  been  added,  at  the  sole  expense  of  Mr. 
G.  W.  Goheen.  The  inspiration  of  these  movements  created  the 
further  need  of  a  charter,  which  was  obtained  in  1864. 

This  academy  was  the  first  of  its  kind  in  a  large  district  extending 
to  the  north  and  east  of  it.  It  was  founded  in  prayer,  with  a  chief 
design  alike  of  furthering  thorough  education,  and  of  securing  a  safe 
retreat  from  the  corruptions  of  society.  Many  have  enjoyed, 
through  its  instrumentality,  thorough  professional  training,  who 
otherwise  would  never  have  even  aspired  to  it,  and  not  a  few  schools 
have  since  started  into  existence,  finding  in  it  both  a  precedent  and 
a  model.  Nearly  twelve  hundred  students  have  more  or  less  shared 
its  advantages.     During  one  year  the  roll  contained  one  hundred 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  105 

and  twenty-seven  names.  About  forty  of  the  number  are  now 
preaching  the  Gospel,  whilst  ten  or  twelve  more  are  in  college  pre- 
paring for  the  same  sacred  office.  A  fair  proportion  also  have  gone 
into  the  other  professions,  some  of  whom  have  already  reached  emi- 
nence. Many,  too,  have  been  successful  teachers.  The  blessing 
of  the  Lord  still  abides  upon  the  academy,  with  the  promise  of  still 
more  abundant  future  results. 

The  WiTHERSPOON  Academy,  at  Butler,  Pennsylvania,  is  one  of 
the  few  institutions  established  under  ecclesiastical  control  which 
have  had  continuous  prosperity.  Its  existence  may  be  traced  to  a 
convention  called  by  the  Presbytery  of  Allegheny  (now  Butler),  in 
1847,  when  the  pen  of  the  lamented  Van  Rensselaer  was  stirring 
the  Church  in  behalf  of  a  more  sanctified  education.  Its  first  prin- 
cipal, as  well  as  the  chief  agent  in  its  establishment,  was  the  Rev. 
Loyal  Young,  D.D.,  then  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  But- 
ler, assisted  by  David  Hall,  now  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hall,  of  Indiana, 
Pennsylvania.  A  charter  was  obtained  in  1849,  ^^<i  ^  building  was 
erected  with  money  contributed  by  the  churches.  The  successors 
of  Dr.  Young  as  principal  have  been  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Martyn  Ry- 
erson,  John  Smalley,  J.  R.  Coulter,  James  S.  Boyd,  J.  W.  Hamil- 
ton, and  the  present  incumbent,  William  I.  Brugh,  D.D.  Dr. 
Brugh,  after  holding  a  professorship  in  Washington  College  for 
several  years,  undertook  the  academy,  and  during  the  ten  years  of 
his  charge,  his  ability  and  energy  have  carried  it  up  to  a  high  stage 
of  prosperity.  Together  with  commodious  buildings,  an  elevated 
standard  of  scholarship,  a  healthful  moral  and  religious  influence, 
and  skillful  teaching  and  management,  the  academy  has  a  fine  record 
of  successful  work.  Through  its  new  plans  and  spirit  it  also  looks 
out  upon  a  bright  future.  Eleven  hundred  pupils  of  both  sexes 
have  more  or  less  enjoyed  its  advantages.  Besides  sending  many 
sons  into  the  other  professions,  and  into  high  positions  of  public 
trust,  it  has  about  twenty-five  representatives  in  the  sacred  office, 
and  almost  as  many  more  who  are  candidates  for  the  same  holy 
work.  The  catalogue  for  the  past  year  contains  the  names  of  106 
male  and  89  female  students. 

The  Vermilion  Institute  was  established  at  Haysville,  Ohio, 
in  1846,  by  the  citizens  of  that  place.  Some  three  or  four  years 
later,  it  was  donated  to  the  Presbytery  of  Richland  for  the  purposes 


Jo6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

of  a  Presbyterial  academy.  The  Presbyteries  of  Coshocton  and 
Wooster  were  subsequently  also  enlisted  in  its  support  and  manage- 
ment. After  the  reunion  of  the  Church  in  1870,  the  ownership  and 
control  remained  in  the  Presbytery  of  Wooster  until  the  spring  of 
1875,  when,  on  account  of  various  difficulties,  it  was  sold  and  re- 
conveyed  to  the  citizens  of  Haysville.  During  a  portion  of  these 
years,  however,  it  accomplished  a  work  eminently  worthy  of  com- 
memoration. 

The  successive  principals  of  the  institute  were  the  Rev.  W.  W. 
Colmery,  the  late  Rev.  S.  Diefendorf,  D.D.,  and  A.  F.  Ross, 
LL.D.  The  highest  prosperity  was  reached  under  Dr.  Diefendorf, 
who,  if  not  specially  distinguished  for  accurate  scholarship,  "  had," 
in  the  language  of  the  Rev.  T.  K.  Davis,  "the  admirable  faculty  of 
waking  the  students  to  independent  thought,  and  imparting  to  them 
a  sturdy,  off-hand,  and  self-reliant  character."  His  peculiar  skill, 
also,  in  cheapening  the  cost  of  living,  had  a  marked  effect  in  gather- 
ing students,  the  number  rising,  in  i860,  to  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five.  But  most  positive  of  all  was  his  religious  force,  which 
was  wielded  through  a  continual  handling  of  "  the  deep  things  of 
God,"  as  represented  in  the  great  questions  of  theology.  "From 
1858  to  1864,"  says  Dr.  John  Robinson,  "an  almost  continual 
revival  of  religion  prevailed  in  the  institution.  Students  who  went 
there  avowed  infidels  were  converted,  and  have  since  entered  the 
ministry.  It  is  believed  that  about  one  hundred  of  the  students 
have  become  ministers  of  the  Gospel." 

The  New  Hagerstown  Academy,  Ohio,  deserves  a  like  honor- 
able mention,  were  its  history  sufficiently  known.  During  the 
past  thirty-nine  years  of  its  existence,  it  has  had  but  one  idle  term. 
Its  founder,  the  Rev.  Richard  Brown,  D.D.,  still  lingers  in  vene- 
rable age  to  bless  God  for  the  fruit  of  his  labor.  The  like  reward 
of  success  belongs  to  the  Rev.  Alexander  Swaney,  D.D.,  another 
principal.  Its  present  head  is  J.  Howard  Brown,  a  son  of  the  first 
principal.  The  pupils,  male  and  female,  have  reached  in  all  the 
number  of  twelve  hundred.  Not  less  than  fifty  of  the  students  are 
now  preaching  the  Gospel. 

The  Miller  Academy,  a  child  of  the  Presbytery  of  Zanesville, 
and  organized  in  185 1  at  Washington,  Ohio,  had  a  brief  but  excel- 
lent life.    Its  first  principal,  the  Rev.  James  Anderson,  resigned  early 


l--^*!;   J/^  lot. 


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4^      o> 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  MOff 

on  account  of  domestic  affliction,  and  was  succeeded,  aftej'  an 
interval  of  suspension,  in  1854,  by  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Alexander,  now 
of  Greenville,  Tennessee,  who  for  nine  years  conducted  it  with 
great  success  and  benefit.  As  nuny  as  fourteen  candidates,  assisted 
by  the  Board  of  Education,  were  there  at  .one  tinac,  besides  others 
also  looking  to  the  sacred  office.  Sixteen  students  were,  in  a 
revival  of  1858-9,  hopefully  brought  to  Christ.  A  large  propf>rtion 
of  the  students  became  heralds  of  the  Gospel.  The  lamented  Dr. 
Van  Rensselaer,  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  P.  "t  a  visit 

in  1858,  bore  tlie  followint-   tentitnpnv.  vi<r  '••.uv  hits 

already  ret 

die  war  of  the  .    iii  led  to  its  suspen- 

sion, and  that  it  has  since  passed  out  of  existence. 

The  Canonsburg  Academy,  which  now  occupies  the  former  site 
and  buildings  of  Jefferson  College,  has  a  legitimate  right  by  inheri- 
tance to  a  place  in  this  record  of  the  century.  It  was  an  express 
provision  of  the  charter,  of  1869,  which  consolidated  the  two  col- 
leges, that  an  academy,  normal  school,  or  other  institution  of  lower 
grade  than  a  college,  should  be  established  at  the  place  losing  the 
college,  or  at  each  of  them  should  a  new  place  be  chosen.  And  in 
either  or  each  case,  as  the  case  might  be,  as  much  of  the  property 
there  located  as  the  Board  should  think  necessary  for  the  use  of  such 
an  institution,  was  Jo  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  seven  local  trustees, 
chosen  by  the  Board  for  this  purpose,  and  authorized  to  curry  the 
organization  into  effect.     Wh         '  "  V^  been 

cboscr.  on  'ho  **•'?•  'if  riv-  •:  .liie  time 

dtsijfjuft'i  Mv  '  ,  iJr.  VViiiiam  G.  Barnett, 

Dr.  J.  VV.  Alt\-.*.i.,  .'I  n^iiii  »v .  Martin,  John  Hays,  Esq., 
David  C.  Houston,  and  J.  Nevin  Brown,  as  the  trustees  of  the 
acaderny,  and  set  apart  for  their  use  and  control  the  college  build 
ings  at  Canonsburg,  the  President's  house,  and  the  two  additional 
professors'  houses,  together  with  a  valuable  portion  of  the  libraries, 
apparatus,  and  furniture,  formally  relinquishing  all  further  right  in 
them. 

The  academy  has  been  most  happy  irrthe  selection,  as  its  prin- 
cipal, of  a  scholarly  Christian  gentleman  of  the  highest  fitness,  in- 
tegrity, and  industry,  in  the  person  of  the  Rev.  William  Ewing, 


ro8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


Ph.D.,  an  alumnus  of  Washington  College  of  the  class  of  1842. 
His  associates  in  instruction  are  Messrs.  James  F.  Ray,  a  scientific 
graduate  of  Washington  and  Jefferson  College  in  1871,  Professor  of 
Mathematics,  and  William  M.  Payden,  Professor  of  Languages, 
together  with  other  occasional  assistants.  Valuable  assistance  was 
rendered  a  portion  of  the  time  by  the  Rev.  William  F.  Brown, 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Canonsburg.  As  now  con- 
stituted the  academy  has  two  departments.  The  classical  depart- 
ment prepares  young  men  for  college,  and  the  normal  is  de- 
signed for  the  special  education  of  teachers.  During  the  four 
years  since  the  opening,  the  number  of  students  for  the  year  has 
ranged  from  one  hundred  and  five  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine. 
The  academy  has  already  won  a  high  reputation  and  a  fine  prospect 
by  the  thoroughness  of  its  instruction,  as  indicated  in  the  high  stand- 
ing of  its  students  in  some  of  the  best  colleges  of  the  land.  Its 
success  has  surprised  even  its  own  friends. 


FEMALE  SEMINARIES 

did  not  form  a  part  of  the  educational  scheme  of  the  Presbyterian 
fathers  of  Western  Pennsylvania.  Yet  they  constitute  a  necessary 
outgrowth  of  their  conception  and  work.  Society  cannot  be  success- 
fully elevated  without  thorough  culture  in  the  mothers,  daughters, 
and  sisters  of  the  land.  Such  culture  is  surely  a  birthright  of  the 
Gospel,  under  which  the  distinction  of  relative  responsibilities  re- 
mains, but  which  in  the  heritage  of  privilege  and  duty  knows 
"neither  male  nor  female."  Seven  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era,  the  prophet's  vision  included  the  very  prospect  which  only  the 
Church  of  the  last  half  century  has  begun  to  adequately  realize: 
"  Thy  sons  shall  come  from  far,  and  thy  daughters  shall  be  nursed 
at  thy  side."  (Isaiah  Ix.  4.)  The  work  and  progress  of  this  half 
century,  in  the  direction  now  indicated,  have,  in  the  region  repre- 
sented in  this  Convention,  been  equal  to  those  of  any  other  part  of 
our  country,  at  least  in  proportion  to  the  general  wealth.  Only 
the  preparation  of  the  first  half  of  this  period  was  needed  in  the 
removal  of  prejudices  and  the  development  of  educational  ideas,  to 
make  the  Presbyterianism  of  this  region  true  to  itself  in  lifting  the 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  rog 


.on  of  females  to  the  level  of  that  of  the  other  sex.  The" 
I  results  have  already  come  to  large  rcalizatioD. 
J  Jie  Edgeworth  Ladies'  Seminary,  estu'  '  '  hy  Mrs.  Mary 
Oiver,  at  Pittsburgh,  in  1825,  and  shortly  as  iransferred  to 
Braddock's  Field,  was  the  first  institution  of  its  kind  west  of  the 
Allegheny  Mountains.  After  eight  or  ten  vr  - -  again  re- 
moved tolhe  beautiful  valley  of  Sewickley,  01  .  i ,  where, 
with  greater  or  less  success,  it  flourisb  "  u-y  11,  1865, 
when  the  destruction  of  the  buildin«r  ^^                            ■>  m  end. 

The  fine  English  ruUyre  of  the  I  by  the 

gr;i'                                                          ...  ,cier 

UJ>.  ^  x':^:  t'iO.i:;^   ■.      ,    ..w.i.cs,  tO 

I  of  God.     At  her  death,  }«ly  i,  1842,  it 
pi-  arc  01  her  daughter,  Mrs.  M.  J.  Flower,  but  its 

doors  vs  J  in  1843.     In  the  spring  of  1846  it  w^  reopened, 

under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  E.  Nevin  and  his  vife,  who  suc- 
-ce&ifully  conducted  it  for  six  and  a  half  year^  deriving  their  patron- 
age chiefly  from  wealthj  families  in  Pittsburgh,  both  Presbyterians 
and  Episcopalians.  It  was  then  transferred  to  Prof.  Samuel  R. 
Williams,  who  had  just  been  a  member  of  the  Faculty  of  Jefferson 
College.  He  in  turn,  after  two  years  of  prosperity,  yielded  it  to  the 
Rev.  Henry  R.  Wilson,  D.D.,  and  he  again,  three  years  later,  to 
the  Rev;?Aaron  Williams,  D.D.,  whose  term  ended  with  the  confla- 
gration.  It  was  chiefly  a  boarding-school,  through  its  whole  history. 
To  the  last  -r  inenta' 

;  .r  .  '    t   ;  ,  daughter 

icnt  of  their  minds 

X  short  distance  beyond  the 
borders  ol  1  !  r»e  old  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  was 

opene'd  on  iht  ;  by  the  Rev.  Charles  C.  Beatty, 

D.D.,  pastor  of  tlu  .  urch  of  Steubenville,  and  his  wife, 

Mrs.  Hettie  E.  Beatiy.  It  was  undertaken  as  a  joint  service  to 
society  and  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  from  a  small  beginning  it  soon 
developed  into  a  seminary  of  tlie  first  class,  and  in  this  attitude  it  has 
ever  since  remained.  The  first  six  graduates  received  their  diplomas, 
and  the  first  catalogue  was  issued,  in  1833.  The  history  of  the  in- 
•titution  records  a  long  list  of  assistants  and  teachers,  who,  under  the 


ii(y  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

wise  headship  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Beatty,  have  done  its  work  in  the  most 
satisfactory  manner.  In  1856,  the  Rev.  A.  M.  Reid,  Ph.D.,  who 
represents  the  Jefferson  class  of  1849,  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  S.  L.  Reid, 
were  associated  with  the  management  as  assistants;  and  in  time  they 
became  the  successors  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Beatty.  The  latter,  however, 
still  hold  official  connection  with  it  in  the  way  of  superintendence 
and  care,  as  their  hearts  and  influence  are  yet,  in  comparative  retire- 
ment, given  to  its  interests.  More  than  four  thousand  pupils  have 
thus  far  been  connected  with  this  seminary,  six  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  of  whom  have  been  regularly  graduated.  Thirty  of  these  pupils 
have  gone  forth  as  missionaries  to  the  heathen  world,  about  five  hun- 
dred have  become  wives  of  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  and  about  two 
thousand  have  been  engaged,  more  or  less,  in  the  work  of  teach- 
ers. In  the  impulse  of  their  beginnings,  and  the  character  they 
have  taken,  many  institutions  in  this  and  other  parts  of  our  country 
have  the  best  reason  to  bow  in  filial  respect  to  this  "mother  of  schools 
and  seminaries."  Happy  as  it  has  always  been  in  high  educational 
tone,  there  is  a  still  brighter  seal  upon  the  fidelity  of  almost  half  a 
century,  in  the  immortal  fruits  of  its  uniform  religious  influence,  as 
they  have  appeared  in  hundreds  of  pupils  returned  to  their  parents  as 
children  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  Washington  Female  Seminary,  at  Washington,  Pa.,  will, 
by  the  first  of  next  May,  have  completed  a  history  of  forty  years. 
Its  first  principal,  Mrs.  Frances  Biddle,  of  Philadelphia,  after  a  ser- 
vice of  four  years,  yielded  her  place,  in  1840,  to  Miss  Sarah  R.  Fos- 
ter, now  Mrs.  Hanna,  widow  of  the  late  Rev.  Thos.  Hanna,  D.D. 
Under  this  headship,  the  seminary  was  brought  down  successfully  to 
1874,  when  the  honored  principal,  yielding  to  the  infirmity  of  years, 
gave  the  reins  of  adminstration  into  younger  hands.  She  still  lives, 
respected,  in  sight  of  the  institution  she  loved  so  well.  At  this  point 
the  graduation  list  had  reached  five  hundred  and  forty-seven,  one- 
sixth  of  whom  had  passed  from  among  the  living.  A  much  larger 
number  had,  of  course,  enjoyed,  in  part,  the  advantages  of  the  semi- 
nary without  completing  the  course.  Ten  or  twelve  became  mis- 
sionaries, more  than  one  hundred  have  been  successful  teachers,  and 
a  fair  proportion  have  gladdened  ministers'  homes  as  wives  and 
mothers.  Its  chief  support  has  come  from  Presbyterians  and  United 
Presbyterians. 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY. 


The  present  principal  is  Miss  Nancy  Sherrard,  of  Steuben\-ille, 
Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  its  honored  seminary.  She  has  now  passed 
into  the  second  year  of  her  administration,  and  already  her  educational 
and  executive  ability  have  been  crowned  with  signal  success.  From 
depression  the  seminary  has  been  raised  to  prosperity,  and  the  fairest 
prospects  illumine  the  path  of  its  future.  Its  pupils  exceed  one  hun- 
dred. The  principal  is  ably  assisted  by  Miss  Mary  McDonald,  vice 
principal,  and  by  a  full  corps  of  excellent  teachers.  She  is  also  sus- 
tained by  a  board  of  eight  trustees,  incorporated  by  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania. 

The  Blairsville  Female  Seminary,  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, owes  its  origin,  in  the  spring  of  1851,  to  the  practical  views 
and  purpose  of  the  Rev.  George  Hill,  D.D.,  who  has  been,  for  thirty- 
four  years,  the  honored  and  useful  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  that  place.  By  him,  with  the  aid  of  several  liberal  gentlemen,  its 
buildings  were  erected,  and  for  a  year  and  a  half  he  acted  as  princi- 
pal. He  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Shepley,  who,  with 
tne  assistance  of  his  wife,  Mrs.  Parmelia  P.  Shepley,  conducted  it 
through  thirteen  years  with  success  and  benefit ;  making  a  list  of 
ninety-four  graduates — a  little  more  than  an  annual  average  of  seven. 
Dr.  Shepley  passed  to  his  reward  during  the  last  year.  His  successor, 
in  1865,  was  the  Rev.  James  R.  Hughes,  now  pastor  of  the  Memorial 
Church  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  who  was  compelled,  by  domestic  affliction, 
to  surrender  his  prosperous  management  in  a  little  more  than  two 
years.  The  present  principal,  the  Rev.  J.  Jewett  Parks,  A.M.,  at  the 
end  of  eight  years  of  laborious  and  faithful  service,  has  the  highest 
esteem  not  only  of  his  fifty-six  graduates,  but  of  the  community  and 
his  patrons,  and  of  educated  visitors  who  have  inspected  his  opera- 
tions. The  happy  combination  of  physical  comfort,  mental  drill,  and 
moral  and  religious  influence,  both  invites  and  deserves  large  patron- 
age. 

The  HoLLiDAYSBURG  SEMINARY  for  young  ladies  is  nestled  among 
the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania,  but  thus  far  has  drawn  the  larger 
part  of  its  patronage  from  the  Western  counties.  Its  charter  of 
1866  resulted  from  a  movement  of  sundry  gentlemen  in  Hollidays- 
burg,  led  by  their  pastor,  the  Rev.  David  H.  Barron,  to  secure  the 
benefits  of  an  education  at  once  liberal  and  evangelical.  Its  patron- 
age has  from  the  first  been  almost  exclusively  Presbyterian,  and  it 


rra  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

has  been  self-sustaining.  Its  fine  building  and  grounds,  costing 
above  $80,000,  offer  the  best  attractions  of  comfort  and  taste,  whilst 
the  internal  management  demonstrates  its  success,  in  the  presence  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  students  the  last  year.  The  Rev.  Joseph 
Waugh,  Ph.D.,  an  alumnus  of  Wa.shington  College,  has  been  its 
principal  from  the  beginning,  nobly  sustained  by  his  accomplished 
wife,  and  assisted  by  ten  teachers.  Its  present  condition  is  said 
to  be  more  satisfactory  than  that  of  any  former  time. 

Last  in  this  enumeration  of  female  institutions  comes  the  Penn- 
sylvania College,  which  received  its  first  impulse  in  1869,  from 
an  offer  of  $20,000  from  sundry  gentlemen,  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  a  seminary  for  young  ladies  in  the  East  End  of  Pitts- 
burgh. The  condition  was  that  the  institution  must  be  of  the  first 
class  in  educational  facilities,  and  of  sound  and  thorough  religious 
influence.  The  President  of  the  college,  as  well  as  a  majority  of 
the  Trustees,  must  be  members  of  some  branch  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  whole  cost  of  the  college  property,  located  at  Shady- 
side,  has  been  $140,000.  The  other  appliances  also  indicate  high 
aims  and  progress.  The  Rev.  James  Black,  D.D.,  its  first  Presi- 
dent, was  elected  July  22,  1870,  and  brought  with  him,  along  with 
scholarly  ability  and  untiring  energy,  the  excellent  reputation  he 
had  acquired  as  professor  in  Washington  College,  his  Alma  Mater, 
as  Vice-president  of  Washington  and  Jefferson,  and  as  President  of 
the  Iowa  State  University.  At  the  end  of  five  years,  having  accom- 
plished, through  the  assistance  of  able  teachers,  a  great  work,  he  has 
resigned  his  place  in  order  to  accept  the  chair  of  Greek  in  Woos- 
ter  University.  The  Rev.  Thomas  C.  Strong,  D.D.,  late  Principal 
of  Wells'  Female  College,  at  Aurora,  New  York,  was  chosen  as  his ' 
successor  June  7th,  1875.  -^^  comes  with  a  fine  record  of  past  suc- 
cess to  confirm  the  testimony  of  his  eminent  qualifications  for  the 
responsible  position.  Sixty -five  pupils  wait  upon  the  instructions 
of  the  college  at  the  present  time,  and  the  prospect  is  regarded  as 
bright  with  hope. 

Let  us  come  now,  last  of  all,  to  the  important  subject  of 

THEOLOGICAL  EDUCATION. 

Prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  seminaries  at  Princeton  and  Alle- 
gheny, by  the  General  Assembly,  professional  instruction  was  given 
to  candidates  for  the  ministry  by  pastors,  especially  by  such  of  them 


"fi^^i 


\mmi'-^ 


'■:  "Wf-:^^    '^"a:  ' 


£:;' 


'  '■•  ^fW^^^^^J-^^'^^''-  '.'■'''•  -'M 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  //j 

as,  in  the  judgment  of  their  brethren,  were  fitted  for  this  work.  A 
number  of  the  early  ministers  of  Western  Pennsylvania  performed 
such  service  for  the  church,  and  did  it  well.  But  from  the  first,  until 
the  infirmities  of  age  gathered  upon  him,  Dr.  John  McMillan  was 
the  generally  accepted  trainer  of  young  preachers.  Whatever  his 
"  Log  Cabin"  was  or  was  not,  it  certainly  was  a  theological  school, 
to  which  the  largest  proportion  of  candidates,  under  the  counsel  of 
their  pastors,  resorted.  His  formal  appointment  as  "  Professor  of 
'Divinity"  at  the  organization  of  Jefferson  College,  was  simply  an 
official  designation  of  a  work  for  the  church,  which  he  had  been 
performing  without  reward  for  many  years.  Nor  surely  less  honor- 
able to  the  ability  of  his  instructions,  after  a  full  trial  of  them,  was 
the  action  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  in  1821,  only  twelve  years 
before  his  death,  and  six  years  before  the  Western  Theological  Semi- 
nary went  into  operation,  when,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  he 
could  only  view  his  life-work  as  mainly  accomplished.  That  action 
is  as  follows,  viz.,  "Whereas,  it  appears  to  this  Synod  that  a  num- 
ber of  promising  young  men,  who  are  setting  their  faces  towards 
the  Gospel  ministry,  are  not  in  circumstances  to  attend  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Princeton ;  therefore.  Resolved,  That  this  Synod 
take  measures  for  procuring  a  library  for  the  benefit  of  such,  to  be 
under  the  control  and  direction  of  this  Synod.  That  it  be  recom- 
mended to  every  member  to  solicit  books  or  moneys  for  this  impor- 
tant purpose,  and  that  this  library  be  located  at  present  in  the  edifice 
of  Jefferson  College,  at  Canonsburg,  and  placed  under  the  care  of 
Rev.  John  McMillan,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Theology  in  that  Semi- 
nary." Here,  surely,  was  a  recognition  above  that  of  college 
Trustees,  and  only  inferior  to  formal  election  by  the  General  As- 
sembly itself. 

In  his  admirable  history  of  the  Presbytery  of  Erie,  Dr.  Eaton 
states  that  no  less  than  twenty  of  the  early  ministers  of  that  body 
received  their  professional  instruction  at  the  hands  of  Dr.  McMillan. 
The  late  Matthew  Brown,  D.D.,  after  careful  examination,  gave  the 
number  of  his  theological  pupils  at  not  less  than  one  hundred.  To 
such  an  extent  did  he  preach  through  others,  both  while  he  lived 
and  long  after  his  own  lips  were  sealed  in  death.  He  taught  theo- 
logy largely  by  means  of  a  system  carefully  prepared  by  himself. 
Each  student  was  required,  in  want  of  the  benefit  of  printing,  to 
H 


IZ4  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

transcribe  these  "  Lectures"  from  the  manuscript.  Whatever  extent 
of  research  may  have  been  embodied  in  that  "system,"  its  clearness 
and  thoroughness  are  said  to  have  reflected  the  strength  of  the  great 
writers  from  whose  pages  the  most  accompHshed  professors  to  the 
present  time  also  are  not  ashamed  to  draw  discriminating  know- 
ledge. An  illustrative  incident  of  fifty  years  ago  may  not  be  out  of 
place  here.  It  was  at  a  time  when  advancing  years  had  led  Dr.  McMil- 
lan to  seek  rest,  and  when,  to  some  extent,  the  succession,  as  a  favorite 
professional  instructor,  had  fallen  upon  the  Rev.  John  Anderson, 
D.D.,  of  Buffalo.  A  class  consisting  of  William  J.  Frazer,  Samuel 
McFarren,  John  Stockton,  Wm.  C.  Anderson,  James  W.  McKennan, 
David  Colmery,  John  L.  Hawkins,  and  Hugh  W.  Koontz — the 
most  of  whom  afterwards  rose  to  great  eminence  and  usefulness — 
were  anxious  to  have  the  use  of  Turretin  as  a  text  book,  and  Dr. 
Anderson,  their  instructor,  was  not  less  anxious  for  them.  They 
knew  not  where  they  could  purchase  it,  nor  from  whom  they  could 
borrow  it,  unless  Dr.  McMillan,  the  possessor  of  the  only  copy 
known  to  exist  west  of  the  mountains,  could  be  induced  to  loan  it  to 
them.  My  friend,  now  Dr.  Stockton,  the  venerable  pastor  at  Cross 
Creek,  was  finally  prevailed  on  to  make  the  journey,  and  try  his 
powers  of  persuasion.  Timidity  almost  chilled  the  words  upon  his 
youthful  lips  in  the  presentation  of  the  case,  as  he  stood  abashed  in 
the  presence  of  the  venerable  Doctor.  But  he  was  kindly  enter- 
tained at  his  table,  and  came  back  in  the  gladness  of  triumph,  with 
the  coveted  treasure  in  his  saddle-bags,  as  precious  as  gold,  given, 
too,  with  the  patriarch's  most  benignant  blessing.  Is  it  not  to  be 
feared  that  in  these  days  of  multiplied  facilities,  eagerness  for  com- 
munion with  Turretin  has  subsided,  and  that  this  and  like  masters 
in  theology — perhaps  for  the  lack  of  a  fashionable  English  dress — 
are  either  wholly  absent  from  a  large  proportion  of  ministers'  libra- 
ries or  left  to  cold  neglect  upon  the  shelf? 

Almost  one-half  of  the  century  we  now  commemorate,  as  to  its 
work  of  theological  education,  is  covered  by  the  history  of  the 
Western  Theological  Seminary.  That  history  was  fully  written 
in  connection  with  the  Alumni  Reunion  of  1872,*  and  need  not  be 

*The  Committee  of  Publication,  at  the  request  of  the  Professors  of  the 
Seminary,  has  decided  to  reproduce  that  history  in  the  present  volume. 
It  immediately  follows  this  address.  A.  W. 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY.  ns 


repeated  here,  save  only  to  make  the  acknowledgment  of  divine 
goodness,  as  still  seen  in  the  prosperity  and  progress  of  the  Seminary. 
Let  it  ever  stand  as  the  true  consummation  and  glory  of  the  plans 
and  work  of  McMillan  and  his  associates,  as  well  as  of  their  honored 
and  godly  successors. 


REFLECTIONS 

upon  the  whole  subject  of  these  sketches  may  be  safely  left  to  those 
who  have  taken  them  into  their  minds.  How  little  did  the  fathers 
of  one  hundred  years  ago,  with  all  their  faith,  comprehend  the 
abundant  harvests  of  a  century  enfolded  in  the  seeds  they  cast  into 
the  soil  of  the  wilderness  !  When  in  their  log  cabins  they  led  young 
men  of  rustic  habits  forward  into  the  beauties  of  classic  literature,  a 
cloud  covered  from  their  vision  the  development  which  in  threi 
generations  should  not  only  fill  the  region  of  their  self-denial  with 
the  fruits  of  culture,  but,  from  that  very  region,  too,  send  forth  the 
abundant  offerings  of  learning,  science,  and  refinement,  in  hallowed 
union  with  religion,  across  the  continent  and  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth.  Thus  now  it  is  said  of  their  children  and  successors  as  to 
Jacob  and  Israel  of  old,  "  What  hath  God  wrought  f  Only  let 
ours  and  the  generations  to  come  ever  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  their 
devotion  to  truth,  to  God,  and  to  the  Kingdom  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 


tS 


A  HISTORY 


WESTERN    THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY 


Allegheny  City,  Pa. 

Being  an.  Address  Delivered,  in  the  Third  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Pittsburgh,  by 

JAMES  I.  BROWNSON,  D.D., 
Pa^torof  ths  First  Presbyterian  CJiurch,  Washington,  Pa . 

ut  **»*  AluMWl  1U  vurtMk,  AprU  nth,  187S. 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


fHE  mother  to  the  sons,  and  the  sons  to  the  mother,  in 
affectionate  greeting  !  This  is  the  spirit  of  the  present 
occasion.  Shall  I  report  to  the  mother  of  her  long 
absent  children,  who  come  from  far  and  near,  to  offer 
thanksgiving  and  praise  on  the  Lord's  altar  in  her  behalf,  and  pro- 
nounce her  blessing  upon  them  ?  Or  shall  I  answer  the  inquiring 
love  of  the  children,  who  sit  once  more  in  the  familiar  circle  of  the 
old  homestead,  to  hear  of  the  vicissitudes  and  experiences  of  the 
mother,  whose  name  and  honor  have  ever  been  carried  in  their 
hearts?  Rejoicing  in  the  birthright  of  a  son,  I  shall  aim  to  do 
both,  confident,  at  least,  that  however  imperfect  the  service,  the 
tribute  of  affection  is  sure. 

The  decisive  advance  in  our  church,  from  ministerial  training 
under  pastors,  to  the  higher  system  of  the  Theological  Seminary, 
combining  the  advantages  of  distinguished  professors,  large  libraries 
and  the  association  of  students,  was  made  when  the  General  Assem- 
bly, after  deliberation  and  appeal  to  the  Presbyteries,  projected  in 
1810,  and  located  in  181 2,  the  Seminary  at  Princeton,  New 
Jersey.  Even  then,  there  was  a  diversity  of  judgment  upon  the 
question  of  one  Seminary  for  the  whole  church ;  or  two  for  its  chief 
sections ;  or  as  many  as  the  Synods  should  see  proper  to  establish 
and  control.  The  first  of  these  plans  was  adopted,  but  there  was 
left  a  large  sentiment  opposed  to  centralization,  and  looking  to  the 
future  need  of  the  country,  especially  in  "  the  great  valley  of  the 
Mississippi."  This  found  decisive  expression  in  a  resolution  of  the 
Assembly  of  1825,  that  it  was  "expedient  forthwith  to  establish  a 
Theological  Seminary  in  the  West,"  to  be  styled  "The  Western 

iiq 


Z20  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States."  A  Board  of  Directors,  consisting  of  twenty-one  ministers 
and  nine  ruling  elders,  was  selected  by  ballot,  to  report  the  follow- 
ing year  a  suitable  location,  and  such  "  alterations  "  in  the  plan  of 
the  Princeton  Seminary  as,  in  their  judgment,  might  be  "  necessary 
to  accommodate  it  to  the  local  situation  of  the  Western  Seminary." 
Five  commissioners  were  also  chosen  at  the  same  time,  to  examine 
proposed  sites,  and,  in  view  of  their  comparative  healthfulness, 
offers  of  money  and  property,  and  other  considerations,  to  report 
their  opinion  on  the  subject  of  location  to  the  directors.  These 
Commissioners  were  :  General  Andrew  Jackson,  of  Tennessee ;  the 
Hon.  Benjamin  Mills,  of  Kentucky  ;  the  Hon.  John  Thompson,  of 
Ohio;  and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Obadiah  Jennings  and  Andrew  Wylie, 
of  Pennsylvania. 

By  appointment  of  the  Assembly,  the  directors  and  Commissioners 
met  simultaneously  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  on  the  15  th  day  of  July, 
1825.  Some  of  the  Commissioners  were  not  present,  and  no  record 
of  the  proceedings  of  that  body  was  kept,  except  the  fact  that  no- 
thing was  done  besides  the  reception  of  proposals,  and  that  they  ad- 
journed to  meet  in  Washington,  Pa.,  on  the  20th  of  November 
ensuing.  The  Board  of  Directors  was  organized,  and  the  following 
officers  were  chosen,  viz.,  James  Blythe,  D.D.,  President;  Francis 
Herron,  D.D.,  First  Vice-president;  Rev.  John  Thompson,  Second 
Vice-president;  and  Rev.  Elisha  P.  Swift,  Secretary.  After  a  general 
discussion,  an  able  circular,  reported  by  Messrs.  Thompson  and  Swift, 
was  adopted,  inviting  further  proposals  for  the  site,  and  pledges  of 
endowment  from  communities  disposed  to  compete  for  the  location. 
They  then  adjourned  to  meet  in  Wheeling,  Va.,  on  the  third  Thurs- 
day of  April  following — the  time  and  place  being  chosen  to  suit  the 
convenience  of  such  of  their  number  as  might  be  commissioners  to 
the  next  Assembly. 

At  the  meeting  in  Wheeling,  the  Commissioners  reported  offers 
from  various  places,  but  declined  to  make  any  recommendation,  as 
only  three  of  their  number,  out  of  five,  had  been  present  at  their 
meeting.  Nine  of  these  offers  came  from  the  State  of  Ohio,  as  fol- 
lows, viz..  West  Union,  Chillicothe,  Springfield,  New  Richmond, 
Ripley  and  Georgetown,  Lebanon,  Decatur,  Cincinnati,  and  Wal- 
nut Hills.     Pennsylvania  was  represented  by  Meadville  and  Alle- 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


gheny.  The  only  other  offer  came  from  Charleston,  Indiana.  In 
the  affluence  of  these  times,  when  business  is  conducted  on  a  princely 
scale,  when  the  rude  cabin  has  given  place  to  the  stately  mansion, 
and  when  the  self-denials  of  pioneer  life  have  passed  over  into  gene- 
ral luxury,  you  must  not  smile  at  the  inducements  held  forth  forty- 
seven  years  ago  to  secure  the  benefits  of  a  theological  seminary, 
connected  with  one  of  the  leading  denominations  of  the  country. 
Only  four  places  went  beyond  $5,000,  whilst  most  of  the  others  fell 
much  below  that  sum ;  and  even  then,  portions  of  the  subscriptions, 
in  some  cases,  were  to  be  paid  "  in  trade ;"  a  part  of  one  was  hon- 
estly confessed  to  be  "of  doubtful  collection;"  and  the  whole  of 
another  was  to  bear  six  per  cent,  interest,  "until  the  subscribers 
should  think  it  expedient  to  pay  the  principal."  Cincinnati  offered 
a  lot  of  ground  valued  at  $17,000,  encumbered,  however,  with  a 
debt  of  $3,000.  Charleston  tendered  a  guaranty  of  eighteen  acres, 
valued  at  $100  per  acre,  and  $10,000  in  cash,  "  to  put  the  seminary 
in  operation."  Walnut  Hills  offered  thirty  acres,  in  three  parcels, 
estimated  at  $6,000.  In  behalf  of  the  location  which  ultimately 
carried  the  day,  the  proposal  was  a  donation  of  $21,000,  in  instal- 
ments, together  with  the  release  of  eighteen  acres  of  "  common," 
for  use,  worth,  in  fee  simple,  about  $20,000.  But  Allegheny  was 
not  then  the  city  of  to-day,  with  a  population  of  60,000,  palatial 
residences,  fine  churches,  beautiful  parks,  street  cars,  charitable  in- 
stitutions, and  complete  municipal  appointments,  but  a  village,  con- 
taining seven  hundred  people,  nestling  on  the  river  side,  which,  to 
be  identified  in  these  very  transactions,  had  to  be  described  as 
"  AUeghenytown,  opposite  Pittsburgh."  It  was  not  even  a  borough 
then,  but  a  part  of  Ross  township,  and  only  rose  to  the  dignity  of 
a  city  in  1840,  with  a  population  of  10,000.  Even  her  older 
"smoky"  sister,  which  furnished,  doubtless,  the  most  of  this  pecu- 
niary offer,  has  increased  at  least  twelvefold  in  size,  and  advanced 
to  the  front  rank  among  the  cities  of  the  Union,  in  the  average 
wealth  of  her  citizens. 

The  first  vote  of  the  Board  was  taken  upon  West  Union,  Ohio, 
when  James  Blythe,  D.D.,  and  John  T.  Edgar,  of  Kentucky,  with 
Robert  G.  Wilson,  D.D.,  James  Hoge,  and  James  Culbertson,  of 
Ohio,  voitd  yea;  and  Francis  Herron,  D.D.,  Matthew  Brown,  D.D., 
Obadiah  Jennings,  and  Elisha  Swift,  of  Pennsylvania,  togethef  with 


r2a  PRESBYTER/AN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

Randolph  Stone  and  Donald  Mcintosh,  of  Ohio,  and  William  Wylie, 
of  Virginia,  ministers,  and  John  Milligan,  the  only  ruling  elder 
present,  voted  nay.  The  next  vote  was  taken  upon  Allegheny, 
which  precisely  reversed  the  former,  both  in  number  and  names, 
the  proportion  being  eight  for  and  five  against  that  place. 

The  following  members  were  absent,  some  of  whom  had  been  at 
the  former  meeting  in  Chillicothe,  viz.,  Gideon  Blackburn,  D.D., 
John  Thompson,  John  Seward,  William  Speer,  Murdock  Murphy, 
Duncan  Brown,  James  Scott,  and  Allan  D.  Campbell,  ministers,  and 
Matthew  B.  Lowrie,  George  Plumer,  Edward  Ward,  Walter  Dunn, 
Samuel  T.  McCracken,  Thomas  P.  Smith,  David  Hudson,  and 
Thomas  Skillman,  ruling  elders.  The  vote  thus  taken  was  largely 
sectional,  and  represented  the  opposite  views  held,  both  in  the  As- 
sembly and  out  of  it :  on  the  one  hand,  in  favor  of  a  location  in  the 
midst  of  a  population  prepared  to  sustain  the  institution,  leaving  the 
planting  of  Seminaries  further  West  to  other  generations ;  and  on 
the  other,  in  favor  of  some  place  central  to  the  great  West,  for  all 
time  to  come,  with  little  regard  to  present  need  and  support.  How 
hidden  from  the  sight  of  these  wise  fathers  was  the  progress  by 
which  Ohio  has  long  since  ceased  to  be  a  frontier,  or  even  a  Western 
State  ! 

The  minority  recorded  a  "solemn  dissent"  from  the  action  taken, 
expressing  their  opinion  also,  that  it  "would  not  promote  the  be- 
nevolent wish  of  the  Assembly,"  as  well  as  their  "regret,  that  in  the 
absence  of  the  Directors  belonging  to  the  Synod  of  Tennessee,  and 
the  greatest  part  of  those  appointed  from  the  Synods  of  Kentucky 
and  Ohio,  the  members  from  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  with  one 
from  the  Reserve  Synod,  have,  by  their  votes,  recommended  Alle- 
ghenytown  for  the  proposed  seminary."  This  dissent  was  as  sol- 
emnly answered  by  the  majority,  who  declared  that  the  deficiency  in 
all  the  pecuniary  offers  of  the  South  and  West  left  it  doubtful 
whether  an  institution  of  the  kind  contemplated  could  be  carried 
into  effective  operation,  for  many  years  to  come,  in  any  of  those 
places.  They  further  emphatically  urged  that  "  the  vast  extent  of 
what  is  called  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  the  variety  of  its  climates, 
and  the  different  manners,  customs,  and  habits  of  its  population,  all 
conspired  to  produce  and  force  upon  the  minds  of  the  majority  the 
conviction  tliat  no  single  Seminary,  wherever  located,  can  ever  com- 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  123 

bine  the  strength  or  supply  the  wants  of  such  a  numerous,  wide- 
spread, and  mixed  population."  They  were,  therefore,  "compelled 
by  a  sense  of  duty,"  to  select  the  place  where  such  a  Seminary  was 
most  needed,  and  which  would  combine  the  greatest  advantages, 
and  promised  the  greatest  immediate  benefits  to  the  cause  of  piety 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Thus  ended  the  skirmish.  The  divided  recommendation  of  the 
directors  only  transferred  the  real  battle  into  the  General  Assembly. 
How  earnest  it  was,  will  appear  from  the  fact  that  the  Assembly  of 
1826,  instead  of  adopting  the  Board's  report,  postponed  the  decision 
for  a  year,  by  passing  the  resolution,  "That  the  Western  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  shall  be  located  either  in  AUeghenytown,  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Pittsburgh,  or  at  Walnut  Hills,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincin- 
nati, or  at  Charleston,  Indiana,  as  the  General  Assembly  of  1827 
shall  decide."  The  resolution,  as  at  first  proposed,  simply  bound 
the  Assembly  to  a  location  "at  some  point  on  the  Ohio  river." 
But  it  was  brought  to  definite  specification  by  the  wit  of  Dr.  Obadiah 
Jennings,  illustrated  by  the  well  told  story  of  a  letter,  sent  by  mail 
from  the  Emerald  Isle,  to  some  friend  Patrick,  addressed  as  "residing 
in  Pennsylvania,  or  elsewhere  in  the  United  States  of  America." 

The  final  struggle  took  place  in  the  Assembly  of  1827,  when, 
Charleston  having  been  withdrawn,  the  roll  was  called,  and  Alle- 
gheny received  a  majority  of  two  votes  over  Walnut  Hills.  This 
result  was  not  a  little  due  to  the  earnest  advocacy  of  the  venerable 
Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  who  was  ever  a  warm  friend  of  this  Seminary, 
though  also  President  of  the  Board  of  Princeton,  and,  as  Chairman 
of  the  committee,  the  writer  of  its  original  "Plan."  The  Mode- 
rator, our  own  venerable  Dr.  Herron,  calling  another  to  the  Chair, 
made  an  effective  speech,  after  which,  under  an  immediate  call  for 
^^  the  question"  he  was  enabled  to  confirm  his  eloquence  with  his 
vote.  The  hot  zeal  of  the  opposition  muttered  some  hints  more 
complimentary  to  the  Dr.'s  sagacity  than  to  his  fairness,  in  leaving 
the  chair  at  the  crisis  of  decision.  But  these  found  a  prompt  refuta- 
tion, both  in  his  high  character  and  in  the  manifest  impossibility  of 
knowing  when  the  vote  would  be  taken.  The  witnesses  of  that  great 
debate  report  the  advocates  of  Allegheny  as  doing  full  justice  to  the 
resources  of  this  matchless  region,  to  the  prospective  importance  of 
a  city  which  must  ever  be  the  key  to  the  great  Western  valley,  and 


134  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

to  the  thorough  and  compact  Presbyterianism  having  its  centre  here. 
They  were  especially  rapturous  in  describing  the  three  picturesque 
valleys,  watered  by  as  many  noble  rivers,  upon  which  the  Seminary 
would  look  down  from  its  proud  elevation  of  more  than  one  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  point  of  confluence.  Even  the  hill  itself — 
dropping,  of  course,  the  poetry  of  its  time-honored  name — was  un- 
covered to  view,  with  the  future  charm  of  its  commanding  alti- 
tudes, its  beautiful  drives  and  walks,  its  rounded  symmetry,  and  the 
terraces,  arbors,  and  fountains  which  would  adorn  its  sides.  But 
these  artistic  ornaments,  set  in  the  brow  of  nature  are  even  yet  in 
prophecy — bequeathed  now,  for  fulfilment,  to  the  county  of  Alle- 
gheny, in  honor  of  her  citizen  soldiery  in  the  second  war  for  inde- 
pendence, whose  beautiful  monument,  crowning  those  aerial  heights, 
shall  stir  the  patriotic  pride  of  coming  generations. 

The  strife  for  location  was  now  ended.  Let  us,  therefore,  turn  to 
the  longer  and  harder  struggle  of  establishment.  The  Board  of  Di- 
rectors, appointed  by  the  Assembly  of  1827,  consisted  of  Francis 
Herron,  D.D.,  Ashbel  Green,  D.D.,  Samuel  Ralston,  D.D.,  Matthew- 
Brown,  D.D.,  Andrew  Wylie,  Obadiah  Jennings,  Elisha  P.  Swift, 
William  Speer,  Elisha  McCurdy,  Francis  McFarland,  Thomas  E. 
Hughes,  Thomas  Barr,  Joseph  Treat,  Thomas  D.  Baird,  James  Gra- 
ham, Robert  Johnson,  William  Jeffrey,  and  Charles  C.  Beatty,  min- 
isters; and  Matthew  B.  Lowrie,  John  Hannen,  J.  M.  Snowden, 
Benjamin  Williams,  Aaron  Kerr,  Thomas  Henry,  Samuel  Thompson, 
and  Reddick  McKee,  ruling  elders.  The  late  death  of  Dr.  William 
Jeffrey  leaves  the  President  of  the  Board,  Charles  C.  Beatty,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  the  only  surviving  minister  of  that  noble  company.  Red- 
dick McKee,  Esq.,  also  from  among  the  honored  elders,  alone  sur- 
vives. At  the  first  meeting  following  their  appointment,  Dr.  Her- 
rou  was  elected  President — an  office  he  held,  by  annual  re-election, 
until  his  death,  Dec.  6,  i860.  Mr.  Speer  was  made  Vice-president, 
Dr.  Ralston,  Secon'd  Vice-president,  Dr.  E.  P.  Swift,  Secretary,  and 
Michael  Allen,  Esq.  (not  a  member  of  the  board).  Treasurer.  At 
a  subsequent  meeting  in  October  following,  modifications  of  the  plan 
of  Princeton  Seminary,  subject  to  the  Assembly's  approval,  were 
agreed  upon.  One  change  was  made,  less  in  substance  than  in 
words,  to  give  greater  distinctness  and  emphasis  to  the  conviction, 
which  was  to  be  the  watchword  in  this  whole  enterprise,  viz.,  "That 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  12s 

learning,  without  religion,  in  the  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  will  prove 
injurious  to  the  Church :  and  religion  without  learning,  will  leave 
the  ministry  exposed  to  the  impositions  of  designing  men,  and  in- 
sufficient, in 'a  high  degree,  for  the  great  purposes  of  the  Gospel 
ministry."     Such  was  the  auspicious  beginning. 

From  this  salient  point,  let  us  pursue  the  history,  for  the  sake  of 
clearness  and  despatch,  in  distinct  branches.  The  first  of  these  shall 
be 

THE  GROUNDS  AND   BUILDINGS. 

One  of  the  first  movements  of  the  Board  was  to  appoint  a  build- 
ing committee,  and  to  instinct  them  "to  erect,  as  soon  as  possible, 
an  edifice  not  exceeding  the  dimensions  of  the  Seminary  at  Prince- 
ton, three  stories  high;"  and  the  subscriptions  from  Pittsburgh  and 
Allegheny  were,  with  the  consent  of  the  donors,  to  be  set  apart  for 
this  purpose.  Instructions  were  further  given  to  erect  the  edifice 
"on  the  centre  of  the  hill,"  provided  the  cost,  including  excavation 
and  leveling,  would  not  be  more  than  $1,000  above  what  it  would 
be  on  the  eastern  section.  In  the  end,  this  excess  is  said  to  have 
been  at  least  six  times  the  sum  named  !  The  decision  in  favor  of 
this  summit  outlook  was  not  made  without  strong  opposition,  led  by 
Dr.  Matthew  Brown.  A  far  better  situation  still,  a  short  distance  west- 
ward, on  grounds  now  occupied  by  heirs  of  the  late  John  T.  Logan, 
Esq.,  and  others,  with  an  area  of  ten  acres,  was  offered  at  $1,000, 
and  its  purchase  was  urged,  especially  by  the  late  John  Irwin,  Esq., 
who  proposed  to  be  one  of  ten  to  make  it  a  gift.  But  it  was  de- 
clined, partly  because  the  leaders  were  committed  to  the  eminence, 
and  partly  from  the  fear  of  forfeiting  the  lease  of  the  eighteen  acres, 
originally  offered  to  the  Assembly,  and  accepted.  A  portion  of  the 
very  ground,  thus  declined,  has  lately  been  sold  at  $200  per  foot. 
Notwithstanding  the  good  intentions,  the  mistake,  then  made,  is 
clear  to  us;  yet  let  us  modestly  remember  that  our  wisdom  is  "after 
the  fact." 

Even  this  was  not  the  most  serious  mistake.  It  seldom  requires 
less  than  bitter  experience  to  expose  the  common  error,  that  the 
success  of  a  public  institution  is  assured  by  expensive  buildings,  even 
without  provision  for  its  current  expenses.  Such  bitterness  was 
not  wanting  in  this  case.  The  first  strength  and  ardor  were  ex- 
pended in  brick  and  mortar.     Even  here,  unexpected  difficulties 


126  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

arose.  The  delay  and  expense  of  preparation,  the  tardy  supply  of 
means,  and  an  unfavorable  re-action  in  the  sentiment  of  the  sur- 
rounding community,  hindered  a  beginning  of  the  foundations 
until  the  Spring  of  1829.  Most  serious  of  all,  was  the  trouble  arising 
about  the  title  to  the  grounds.  They  had  been  a  part  of  the  Com- 
mon of  Allegheny,  but  the  citizens  had  severally  released  the  right 
of  open  pasture,  which  was  the  only  right  attaching  to  their  lots, 
and  the  Legislature  of  the  State,  which  held  all  other  rights,  had 
donated  them  for  the  perpetual  use  of  the  Seminary.  The  three 
original  Trustees  designated  in  the  grant  to  hold  for  this  purpose, 
until  such  a  time  as  a  Board  of  Trustees  might  be  incorporated, 
were  James  Brown,  Hugh  Davis,  and  John  Hannen.  The  last  two 
have  passed  away  from  among  the  living ;  the  first  lingers  on  the 
borders  of  the  Spirit  Land — in  his  94th  year.  It  was  rumored, 
about  this  time,  that  there  were  certain  parties  who  had  not  re- 
leased their  right  of  pasture  on  the  Common  !  One  such  brought  a 
suit,  on  this  ground,  to  overturn  the  transaction,  but  the  Court 
ruled  him  out,  on  the  ground  of  his  consent  by  silence.  A  most 
zealous  search  discovered  one  case  of  a  minor,  in  whose  behalf  there 
had  been  no  relinquishment,  and  this  was  effectually  used  to  give 
force  to  a  hostility  which  repeated  itself  in  acts  of  violence,  in  suits 
of  injunction  to  restrain  improvement  and  use  of  the  grounds,  and 
in  other  vexations,  extending  over  many  years,  until  the  question 
was  settled  by  compromise,  in  1846,  on  the  payment  of  $1,500,  for 
the  sake  of  peace.  Without  this  annoyance,  the  Seminary  might 
have  been  made  almost  self-sustaining,  through  the  lease  of  lots,  in 
the  very  years  of  its  hardest  struggle  for  life.  It  was  not  strange, 
that  under  such  a  pressure,  the  Board  met  on  March  loth,  1829,  to 
consider  the  propriety  of  suspending  the  erection  on  the  hill,  and  of 
substituting  a  modest  structure,  50  by  36  feet,  of  three  stories,  on 
the  north-east  corner  of  the  ground. 

But  men  of  faith  then  were  no  more  to  be  hindered  in  the  Lord's 
work  than  was  Nehemiah  in  his  day.  Certain  streets  were  ordered 
to  be  laid  out,  in  concession  to  public  clamor.  The  work  of  pro- 
curing releases  from  any  who  might  not  have  given  them  was  re- 
newed. But  the  building  must  go  on,  and  Joseph  Patterson,  Esq., 
was  appointed  to  superintend  it ;  which  he  nobly  did,  releasing  his 
salary  for  its  furtherance.      And  thus,  at  last,  the  Seminary  began 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  raj 

to  rise  upon  its  foundations.  But  instead  of  cut  stone,  as  had  been 
determined  a  year  before,  its  outer  walls  appeared  in  less  pretentious 
brick,  whilst  for  the  inner  walls,  the  rude  stone  dug  in  the  process 
of  excavation  was  deemed  sufficient.  It  was  ready  for  use  early  in 
the  spring  of  1831,  for  purposes  of  recitation,  and  on  March  29th, 
of  that  year,  the  students  ascended  to  the  possession  of  the  lodging 
rooms  prepared  for  them.  Until  then,  they  had  boarded  as  they 
could  in  the  city,  and  received  sound  theology  in  the  session  room 
at  the  rear  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburgh. 

The  building  was  commodious.  It  consisted  of  a  central  edifice, 
sixty  feet  in  length  by  fifty  in  breadth,  of  four  stories,  having  at 
each  front  a  portico  "adorned  with  Corinthian  columns,"  and  a 
cupola  in  the  centre ;  and  also  two  wings,  of  three  stories  each,  fifty 
feet  by  twenty-five.  It  contained  a  chapel  of  forty-five  feet  by 
twenty-five,  with  a  gallery  of  like  dimensions  for  the  library ;  suits 
of  rooms  for  professors,  rooms  for  the  steward,  and  about  eighty 
dormitories  for  students.  The  cost  of  the  whole  was  but  little  short 
of  $25,000,  even  in  those  cheap  times.  But,  alas  !  the  unplastered 
walls  of  many  of  its  rooms,  as  well  as  its  rude  walks  and  unadorned 
grounds,  told  the  story,  for  many  years,  that  the  Presbyterians  of 
Western  Pennsylvania  were  more  given  to  faith  than  works.  Yet, 
such  as  it  was,  it  is  to  many  of  us  here  to-night,  associated  in 
memory  with  venerable  professors,  who  led  us  to  the  precious 
treasures  of  God's  truth,  and  also,  with  beloved  class-mates,  joined 
to  us  in  study,  counsel,  and  prayer,  as  we  strove  together  to  become 
"able  ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  not  of  the  letter,  but  of  the 
spirit." 

That  structure  fulfilled  its  purpose  until  Jantiary  23d,  1854,  when, 
under  a  mysterious  Providence,  a  calamitous  fire,  originating  in  a 
manner  unknown,  broke  forth  near  the  roof,  during  intensely  cold 
weather,  and  levelled  it  with  the  ground.  Most  of  the  students  were 
at  supper  at  the  time,  and  lost  even  their  clothing  and  books.  The 
library  was  greatly  damaged,  besides  the  destruction  of  a  large  part 
of  it.  The  Halsey  library,  being  on  the  lower  story,  was  chiefly 
rescued.  The  First  Church  of  Allegheny  generously  tendered  its 
capacious  lecture  and  Sabbath-school  rooms  for  the  recitations  of 
the  classes,  and  the  offer  was  thankfully  accepted.  A  like  generous 
invitation  was  given  by  the  Second  Church  of  Pittsburgh.     Much 


/2*  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

hospitality  was  also  extended  to  the  students,  and  a  liberal  subscrip- 
tion was  made  for  their  relief. 

The  time  of  the  conflagration  seemed  providential.  Negotiations 
between  the  city  and  the  Seminary,  frequently  attempted  before, 
had  come  to  consummation  in  a  deed  dated  December  3,  1849,  '^^^ 
acknowledged  August  27,  1850,  by  which  all  of  the  land  granted  by 
the  State  in  1827,  except  about  one  acre,  was  passed  over  to  the 
city,  under  the  obligation  of  a  perpetual  lease,  with  the  right  re- 
served, however,  to  use  the  old  building  for  three  years,  with  free 
access  to  it,  and  then  to  remove  its  materials.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  city  became  bound  to  the  Seminary  for  ^35,000,  in  the  form  of 
z.  perpetual  loan,  with  an  interest  per  annum  of  ^2,100,  to  be  paid 
semi-annually,  on  the  first  days  of  January  and  July,  from  and  after 
July  ist,  1850,  without  any  deduction  or  abatement  whatever,  on 
account  of  any  taxes,  charges,  or  assessments  on  or  for  the  reserved 
lot  and  the  buildings  which  might  be  erected  thereon.  The  terms 
of  payment  are  refreshing,  after  the  experience  of  intervening  years 
in  salaries  and  other  transactions,  under  the  standard  of  paper  cur- 
rency. Our  good  Trustees,  not  being  without  some  experience  of 
the  uncertainty  of  human  affairs,  stipulated  in  the  bond  that  this 
semi-annual  interest  should  for  ever  be  paid  in  ' '  lawful  silver  money 
of  the  United  States,  each  dollar  weighing  seventeen  pennyweights 
and  six  grains,  at  least."  Time  has  justified  their  conviction  that 
a  little  "  worldly  wisdom,"  rightly  tempered,  is  not  without  its  use. 

The  three  years  of  occupation  had  expired  when  the  fire  occurred, 
and'  thus  the  crisis  for  building  was  doubly  attested,  but  the  old  ma- 
terials were  gone.  In  lieu  of  them,  an  insurance  of  $5,000  became 
the  nucleus  of  a  construction  fund,  the  balance  of  which  was 
promptly  supplied  by  subscriptions,  and  the  new  edifice  was  in  due 
time  completed,  without  debt,  at  a  cost  of  a  little  over  $22,000.  It 
is  beautifully  situated  on  the  centre  of  the  reserved  site,  with  the  ad- 
dition of  a  lot  purchased  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  McGill.  The  grounds 
front  on  Ridge  and  Marshall  Streets,  216  feet  by  200  on  Irwin 
Avenue,  and  were  valued  at  16,000.  The  new  building  was  par- 
tially used  in  the  fall  of  1855,  but  its  formal  dedication  took  place 
January  10,  1856,  when  in  the  absence  of  Dr.  Herron  (on  account 
of  sickness),  the  dedicatory  prayer  was  offered  by  the  Vice-president 
of  the  Board,  Dr.  Swift,  and  an  address,  full  of  grateful  memories 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  rag 

and  of  high  trust  in  God,  was  delivered  by  the  Senior  Professor, 
Dr.  Elliott.  On  this  occasion  there  v/as  joy,  not  unlike  that  of  the 
returned  captives  of  Israel  over  the  second  temple,  but  probably 
none  "  wept  with  a  loud  voice,"  like  many  of  the  priests,  Invites, 
and  chief  of  the  fathers  then,  "  who  had  seen  the  first  house."  The 
edifice  was  "not  so  large  as  the  old  one" — the  reduction  being 
chiefly  in  dormitories  and  culinary  conveniences — but  it  was  "much 
superior  in  location,  arrangement,  accommodation,  and  general  fit- 
ness for  the  purpose  contemplated."  What  was  gained  in  the  in- 
spiration of  study  may  be  left  among  the  unsettled  questions  of  his- 
tory, between  later  and  earlier  generations  of  the  alumni.  The 
Seminary,  at  least,  "  makes  more  noise  in  the  world,"  in  its  new 
location,  by  means  of  a  fine  bell,  of  300  lbs.  weight,  presented  in 
1859,  by  the  Second  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Troy,  N.  Y., 
through  its  pastor,  the  Rev.  D.  Kennedy,  D.D.  An^  punctuality 
ought  to  be  impressed  by  means  of  the  handsome  regulator  clock, 
presented  by  Seymour  Hoyt,  Esq.,  of  New  York. 

The  same  crisis  of  trial  which  hastened  the  erection  of  the  new 
Seminary  became  associated  also  with  home  accommodations  for 
the  Professors  and  students.  The  erection  of  houses  for  these  pur- 
poses had  often  been  under  consideration  before,  but  like  the  pro- 
ject of  leasing  lots  for  the  sake  of  revenue,  to  relieve  the  habitual 
stress  of  poverty,  its  postponement  was  invariable,  owing  to  the 
open  question  of  title.  In  July,  1843,  the  specifications  of  Boyd  & 
Murdock,  for  two  Professors'  houses,  were  accepted  by  the  execu- 
tive committee  ;  but  in  less  than  a  month  the  work  had  to  be  stopped, 
and  damages  paid  to  the  contractors,  on  account  of  opposition 
manifesting  itself  through  the  city  councils.  But  now,  at  last,  the 
way  was  clear.  Before  the  occurrence  of  the  fire,  arrangements 
were  made  for  two  Professors'  houses,  and  their  actual  completion 
shortly  afterwards,  in  1854,  on  the  western  end  of  the  reserved  site, 
was  followed  some  two  years  later,  or  shortly  after  the  erection  of 
the  Seminary  itself,  by  that  of  two  other  like  residences  at  the  oppo- 
site end.  These  houses  are  tasteful  and  comfortable.  Their  cost 
was  about  ;^5,ooo  each,  or  less  than  half  their  present  value.  The 
generous  offer  of  $600  for  each  of  them,  like  many  another  in- 
ducement from  the  same  source  in  the  history  of  this  enterprise,  led 
other  donors,  chiefly  in  these  two  cities,  to  supply  the  balance  of 
I 


rjo  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

the  requisite  funds.  The  only  exception  was  in  the  case  of  the 
house  erected  for  the  venerable  Professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic 
Theology,  Dr.  Elliot,  for  which  a  sum  nearly  sufficient,  in  addition 
to  the  $600  already  named,  was  realized  from  the  sale  of  a  tract  of 
land  in  Mercer  county.  Pa.,  which  had  been  donated  in  1839  for 
this  specific  purpose,  through  the  Professor  himself,  by  James  S. 
Spencer,  Esq. ,  of  Philadelphia.  By  this  admirable  arrangement  for 
the  comfort  of  the  Professors,  another  pledge  of  stability  and  pro- 
gress was  gained. 

But  like  unto  this,  and  even  more  assuring  of  success,  was  the 
erection,  in  1859,  on  the  north  side  of  Ridge  Street,  of  Beatty  Hall, 
fitly  named  in  honor  of  the  Christian  generosity  of  the  donor,  Mrs. 
Hetty  E.  Beatty,  of  Steubenville,  Ohio,  whose  gift  of  ^10,000  for 
this  purpose,  covering  the  cost  of  the  building,  enabled  the  Trustees 
to  make  this  handsome  provision  of  students'  dormitories.  The 
whole  cost,  including  the  lot,  was  $15,000.  It  is  a  fine  building,  in 
the  main,  of  four  stories,  originally  containing  eighty-one  single 
rooms,  the  whole  building  being  supplied  with  gas  and  water  fix- 
tures. It  was  remodeled  in  1868,  at  a  cost  of  $3,586,  so  as  to  in- 
crease the  size  and  comfort  of  the  rooms  by  a  reduction  of  their 
number,  and  the  funds  for  this  purpose  were  mostly  raised  through 
appeals  of  Professors  Jacobus  and  Hodge  to  eastern  friends.  The 
furniture  of  these  rooms,  as  well  as  of  those  of  the  Seminary  build- 
ing, for  the  same  purpose,  was  mainly  supplied  by  the  generosity  of 
churches  and  individuals. 

Nor  even  yet  are  we  through  with  this  branch  of  the  subject, 
until  we  refer  to  the  fire-proof  Library  building,  whose  corner- 
stone has  just  been  laid  amidst  such  signal  demonstrations  of  affec- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  assembled  alumni.  Its  cost  of  $25,000,  has 
been  provided  for  by  the  sale  of  lots,  which  have  appreciated  in 
value.  Within  it  will  henceforth  be  found,  in  new  conditions  of 
safety  and  attraction,  the  collection  of  more  than  ten  thousand 
volumes  of  the  general  library,  including  all  that  were  saved  from 
the  fire  of  those  collected  by  Dr.  A.  D.  Campbell,  in  Europe,  in 
1829,  and  also  of  the  "Henry  Library,"  a  valuable  assortment, 
rich  in  historical  and  exegetical  works,  gathered  in  Europe  by  the 
Rev.  Charlton  Henry,  of  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  donated  to  the 
Seminary  in  June,   1828,  after  his  death,  by  his  father,  Alexan- 


.■_3 
1 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  13 1 


der  Henry,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  through  the  influence  of  Dr. 
Herron.  Extensive  additions  have  been  made  from  time  to  time, 
especially  since  the  conflagration,  by  voluntary  gifts  and  legacies, 
and  through  solicitation  of  the  Professors  and  others.  The  "Hal- 
sey  Library,"  which  contains,  in  addition,  two  thousand  volumes, 
with  a  fine  supply  of  Patristic  and  Biblical  literature,  was  deposited 
for  the  special  use  of  the  Professors,  in  1852,  by  the  honored  ex- 
Professor  whose  name  it  bears,  and  now,  by  a  consummated  libera- 
lity, on  prescribed  conditions,  it  becomes  a  possession.  Thus  we 
have  a  nucleus  of  twelve  thousand  volumes.  Hereafter,  neither  the 
hearts  nor  eyes  of  visitors  will  be  without  hopeful  appeals  for  con- 
tribution to  the  attractive  shelves  which  shall  contain  these  treasures. 
Nor,  as  we  trust,  shall  the  library  fund  of  $5 ,000,  the  fruit  of  in- 
surance upon  the  library,  taken  before  the  fire,  fail  to  be  so  re- 
plenished and  increased,  as  to  secure  an  ever-enlarging  supply  of 
the  best  theological  works  of  the  age. 

Let  us  now  turn  back  from  this  high  progress  in  one  line  of  our 
history,  to  trace,  over  the  same  years,  the  still  greater  struggle  to 
provide  for 

CURRENT    EXPENSES. 

The  establishment  of  the  Seminary,  in  1827,  included  the  elec- 
tion of  a  Professor.  The  known  readiness  of  several  students  to 
enter  the  institution  was  still  another  reason  for  beginning  opera- 
tions at  once.  Several  members  of  the  Board,  and  other  persons, 
were,  therefore,  appointed  to  canvass  prescribed  fields  and  raise 
funds  for  present  use  and  general  endowment.  But  in  this,  as  in 
the  building  fund,  great  discouragements  had  to  be  met.  The 
West  and  South  were  much  alienated  by  failure  to  secure  the  loca- 
tion. Even  some  friends  of  the  enterprise  in  this  region  had,  in 
part,  concurred  with  them  on  that  question.  In  the  East,  there 
were  some  willing  to  help,  but  other  interests  first  claimed  their 
attention,  and  besides,  they  naturally  waited  to  see  what  would  be 
done  at  home.  The  burden  fell  chiefly  on  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh, 
which  then  embraced  nearly  all  of  Western  Pennsylvania  and  Western 
Virginia,  as  well  as  a  large  part  of  Eastern  Ohio.  But  the  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterians  of  this  favored  region,  were  not  then,  as  they  are 
not  now,  quite  so  remarkable  for  the  rush  of  enthusiasm,  as  for 
steadfast  orthodoxy.     Some  churches  and  individuals  responded  to 


jjz  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

the  first  call  with  reasonable  liberality,  whilst  many  more  were  de- 
linquent. After  the  first  few  appeals,  many  sank  into  comparative 
inaction.  The  expense  of  excavating  the  hill  was  a  soothing  plea  to 
some.  Others  had  to  be  educated  with  difficulty  up  to  the  practical 
idea  of  sustaining  a  '< school  of  the  prophets,"  without  charge  for 
tuition.  Others  still  were  misled  by  injudicious  agents,  who,  for  the 
sake  of  a  present  liberality,  were  wont  to  comfort  avarice  with  the 
promise  of  exemption  from  like  future  appeals.  The  "last  appeal" 
never  came ;  and  God  forbid  it  ever  should,  until  the  judgment  day. 
For  a  long  time,  the  chairs  were  only  partially  filled,  and  the  Professors 
had  the  triple  benefit  of  extra  service,  low  salaries,  and  agencies,  in 
vacation,  to  raise  money  for  their  own  bread.  Every  one  of  the 
first  twenty-five  years  was  a  solemn  crisis  of  life  or  death.  Nearly 
every  meeting  of  the  Board,  and  of  the  Synod,  was  held  in  the  pre- 
sence of  an  emergency.  The  Assembly,  representing  the  whole 
Church,  exercised  control  and  voted  appropriations,  but  the  money 
had  to  be  raised  here  at  home,  with  only  occasional  help  from 
abroad.  It  was  raised  only  by  means  of  incessant  vigilance  and 
effort  on  the  part  of  those  having  the  great  interest  at  heart.  In- 
deed, so  discouraging  was  the  apathy  of  the  Church  at  large,  that 
from  1831  to  1836,  several  movements  were  made  in  the  board  to- 
wards asking  the  Assembly  to  transfer  the  whole  management  to  the 
Synod,  so  as  to  secure  its  full  interest  at  least.  It  is  due  to  truth  to 
record  the  fact,  that  far  in  the  lead  of  all  other  Churches,  and  equal, 
in  benefactions,  to  all  the  rest  of  the  Synod  itself,  was  the  noble  old 
First  Church  of  Pittsburgh,  led  on  by  its  heroic  pastor.  Dr.  Herron, 
whose  faltering,  at  any  time  during  these  early  years,  would  have 
been  certain  death.  His  moral  influence,  in  sustaining  the  sinking 
spirits  of  others,  and  the  force  of  his  name  and  efforts  abroad,  in  se- 
curing contributions,  were  only  less  than  the  power  wielded  among 
his  own  people.  By  his  side  stood  his  faithful  friend  and  parishioner, 
Michael  Allen,  the  Treasurer  of  the  Seminary,  who,  to  his  gratuitous 
service,  added  untiring  vigilance  and  the  offerings  of  an  open  purse, 
though  not  without  very  intelligible  protests  against  the  parsimony 
of  the  churches. 

The  resorts  to  meet  these  ever-recurring  emergencies  would  make 
a  long  chapter  of  details,  but  the  time  is  too  short,  and  the  story 
would  be  too  uniform  for  present  interest.     Annual  contributions 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  133 

were  made  by  the  willing  churches.  Temporary  agencies  were 
created,  and,  for  five  years,  ending  in  1840,  Dr.  A.  D.  Campbell, 
ever  an  earnest  and  faithful  friend  of  the  Seminary,  besides  being  an 
instructor  in  church  government,  was  a  general  agent.  Appeals, 
by  letter,  were  made  to  distant  friends,  some  of  which  brought  timely 
help;  in  the  case  of  James  Lenox,  Esq.,  and  a  few  others,  those  ap- 
peals were  often  repeated,  and  as  often  honored.  One  such  crisis 
may  be  taken  as  representative.  In  1839,  the  liabilities  of  the  trea- 
sury were  $7,807.66,  of  which  1^2,855  was  due  to  the  Professors, ;and 
the  channels  of  income  were  dry.  At  the  request  of  the  board,  Dr. 
Elliott  went  to  Philadelphia,  as  a  beggar,  in  the  last  extremity.  On 
the  day  of  his  arrival  the  banks  had  suspended  specie  payment,  and 
business  was  collapsed.  Yet,  his  personal  influence  secured  a  sub- 
scription, in  money,  of  ^5,256.50,  payable  in  four  annual  instal- 
ments, and  the  title  to  a  tract  of  land  in  Mercer  county,  before  men- 
tioned. It  was  under  this  stimulus  that  the  good  old  Synod  came 
again  to  the  rescue,  and  became  responsible,  by  formal  pledge,  for 
the  support  of  the  Seminary  for  five  years.  Thus,  as  many  times  be- 
fore and  afterwards,  light  broke  through  the  dark  clouds. 

It  was  as  the  period  of  five  years,  just  mentioned,  approached 
completion,  that  a  movement  was  made  as  a  last  resort,  which,  in 
its  final  success,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  carried  the  institution  into 
assured  life.  All  of  the  old  methods  of  sustentation  had  been  ex- 
hausted. Accummulated  capital,  regular  and  special  donations,  and, 
indeed,  all  available  supplies,  had  melted  away  in  current  expenses. 
Each  rally,  hitherto,  had  only  postponed  the  evil  day  of  suspension, 
and  suspension  would  forfeit  the  title  to  the  property.  Every  visi- 
ble token  was  discouraging,  except  the  high  character  of  the  Profes- 
sors, and  the  presence  of  more  than  fifty  noble  candidates  for  the 
ministry  in  our  halls.  So  the  case  stood  in  1843,  when  the  Rev. 
Richard  Lea,  an  ardent  alumnus,  prompted,  it  is  said,  by  his  wife, 
as  good  men  generally  are,  and  sustained  by  his  Elder,  Malcomb 
Leech,  Esq.,  proposed,  first  in  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  then  in  the 
Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  and  at  last,  after  signal  failure  in  both,  through 
the  columns  of  the  Presbyterian  Advocate,  the  scheme  of  a  perma- 
nent endowment  of  two  professorships,  at  $25,000  each,  with  the 
expectation  that  at  least  one  more  could  be  secured  by  a  sale  of  the 
land.     A  favorable  response  appeared  soon,  over  the  signature  of 


134  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

John  C.  Plumer,  Esq.,  of  West  Newton.  The  Presbyteries,  led  by 
the  mother  Presbytery,  Redstone,  discussed  and  strongly  recom- 
mended the  plan.  It  was  adopted  by  the  Directors,  at  a  meeting, 
June  1 2th,  1844.  The  notable  provisions  of  the  form  of  subscrip- 
tion were  :  first,  that  the  principal  should  be  intact,  and  the  interest 
only  expended ;  and  second,  that  the  fund  was  to  be  forfeited  to  the 
donors,  or  their  heirs,  if  ever  a  change  should  be  made  in  the  for- 
mula required  to  be  subscribed  by  the  Professors,  at  their  inaugura- 
tion, "  whereby  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  catechisms  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  are  now  adopted, 
ex  animo,  to  be  received  and  taught  by  the  said  Professors."  Theo- 
dore H.  Nevin,  Esq.,  was  appointed  Assistant  Treasurer,  with  spe- 
cial charge  of  this  fund.  A  Board  of  Trustees  was  chartered  to 
hold  and  manage  the  money.  The  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  took  up  the 
matter  vigorously  at  its  next  meeting.  Its  roll  was  called,  and  many 
of  the  Ministers  and  Elders  pledged  themselves  for  $i^o  each,  under 
a  scheme  suggested  in  the  Advocate  by  ''Wyandotte,"  understood 
to  be  the  Rev.  George  Hill,  who  had  been  an  "agent,"  under  the 
old  system,  just  long  enough  to  prepare  him  for  "a  new  departure." 
Mr.  Lea  was  recommended  by  the  Synod  as  an  agent  for  temporary 
service,  and  afterwards  appointed  permanently  by  the  Board,  to 
carry  out  the  plan,  and,  with  the  consent  of  his  church — the  Pro- 
fessors agreeing  to  supply  his  pulpit — he  spent  three  years  in  this 
service,  without  charge.  Mr.  Allen  headed  his  book  with  a  sub- 
scription of  ^1,000,  and  a  non-communicant  paid  his  traveling  ex 
penses  for  the  first  year.  The  Rev.  John  Kerr,  another  alumnus, 
by  request  did  a  like  service  in  the  Synod  of  Wheeling.  The  Pro- 
fessors relinquished  a  portion  of  their  dues,  and  also,  afterwards, 
agreed  to  a  temporary  reduction  of  their  salaries,  from  ^1,500  to 
$1,200,  in  the  same  spirit.  Appeals  through  the  pulpit  and  the 
press,  vigorous  personal  efforts,  repeated  again  and  again  on  the 
same  ground,  and  all  the  influence  of  ecclesiastical  appliances  were 
needed  for  success.  It  came  at  last,  after  a  struggle  of  not  less  than 
half  a  dozen  years ! 

But  these  very  years  were  marked  with  harder  conflicts,  and 
darker  clouds,  than  ever  before  or  since.  The  very  concentration 
upon  endowment  turned  away  the  supplies  of  present  want.  Debts 
accumulated,  the  Professors  were  often  paid  with  borrowed  money. 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  tjs 

sometimes  with  bonds,  and  oftener  still,  were  obliged  to  incur  debts 
for  the  means  of  living,  in  anticipation  of  a  replenished  Treasury, 
Financial  embarrassments  thickened,  until,  notwithstanding  internal 
prosperity,  the  question  of  disbanding  was  forced  home  upon  the 
Directors  with  more  power  than  ever  before.  Rumors  of  such  a 
probable  result  were  industriously  circulated.  It  added  greatly, 
also,  to  these  troubles,  that  a  movement  was  made  in  1847,  ^.t  New 
Albany,  Indiana,  to  transfer  our  Seminary,  with  one  or  more  of  its 
Professors,  to  the  Seminary  located  there,  and  that  a  similar  move- 
ment at  Cincinnati,  in  1849-50,  aimed  at  the  absorption  of  both  New 
Albany  and  Allegheny  at  that  place.  It  was  even  found  necessary 
for  the  Assembly  of  1850  to  pass  a  formal  resolution,  declaring  the 
Seminary  to  be  "permanently  fixed  in  its  present  location,"  so  as  to 
quiet  the  injurious  clamors  thus  raised.  It  is  not  wonderful  that  in 
this  great  uncertainty,  discouragement  so  came  upon  the  Directors 
themselves,  that  a  resolution  offered  by  one  of  the  firmest  friends,  to 
dispose  of  the  property,  pay  off  the  debts,  and  close  the  doors,  was 
seriously  and  painfully  discussed.  "While  the  resolution  was  pend- 
ing," says  the  record,  written  by  the  lamented  Comingo,  "sadness 
and  sorrow,  darker  than  the  intervening  night,  filled  many  hearts." 
But  a  key  of  hope  was  struck,  when,  in  the  opening  speech  of  the 
next  morning,  a  good  Elder,  after  the  tossings  of  a  sleepless  night, 
announced  his  readiness  to  "trust  in  the  Lord,  and  go  forward." 
His  counsel  prevailed,  and  the  light  of  a  brighter  day  soon  came. 
From  the  high  prosperity  of  later  years,  we  look  back  with  wonder 
at  the  patient  endurance  of  those  believing  and  prayerful  men  ! 

The  sale  of  the  grounds  added  another  endowed  chair  to  those 
secured,  as  we  have  just  seen.  The  endowment  of  a  fourth  pro- 
fessorship was  started  in  1856,  and  brought  to  final  completion  in 
1863,  when  the  eyes  of  the  Treasurer  must  have  glowed,  as,  balanc- 
ing his  columns,  which  showed  $100,000  of  unencumbered  endow- 
ment, joined  with  other  like  prosperity,  he  appended  the  unwonted 
statement,  "  The  endowment  fund  is  completed,  and  the  Seminary 
is  out  of  debt."  Following  this,  too,  is  the  record  of  another  ad- 
vance, when,  in  1866,  the  Trustees  reported  an  addition  of  $30,000 
to  the  permanent  funds,  by  means  of  private  subscriptions,  led  by 
the  Presidents  of  the  two  Boards,  Dr.  Beatty  and  James  Laughlin, 
Esq.,  at  §5,000  each,  for  the  double  purpose  of  securing  an  ade- 


ij6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


quate  contingent  fund,  and  of  raising  the  productiveness  of  each  of 
the  four  professorships,  to  ^2,000  a  year.  Nor,  even  yet,  is  this 
recital  complete,  until  we  mention  the  joint  endowment  of  the 
"Re-union  Professorship,"  by  Dr.  Beatty  and  his  wife,  to  the 
amount  of  1^50,000,  tendered  and  accepted  in  1870,  on  the  con- 
dition that  the  incumbent  shall  "  not  be  a  pastor."  And  this 
munificent  gift  is  but  an  addition  to  ^27,000,  bestowed  before  by 
the  same  liberal  hands.  To  this  completed  endowment  of  five 
Professorships,  it  is  pleasant  to  add  one  of  a  Tutorship  in  Hebrew, 
to  the  amount  of  ^^5,000,  contributed  by  the  Central  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Pittsburgh,  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Jacobus,  as  a  part  of  its 
"  Memorial "  offering.  Other  "  Re-union  "  gifts,  for  different  uses, 
were  made  to  a  considerable  extent.  The  scholarship  fund,  of 
$39,000,  pledged  for  the  support  of  nineteen  students,  the  sustenta- 
tion  fund,  of  nearly  $4,000,  the  interest  of  which  is  used,  under  the 
discretion  of  the  Professors,  to  aid  those  who  are  straitened,  and 
the  contingent  fund,  of  $20,000,  all  enter  into  the  evidences  of 
present  prosperity.  The  whole  endowment  fund  now  amounts  to 
$187,000.  And  it  is  a  simple  debt  of  justice  to  record  the  grateful 
fact  that,  through  the  vigilance  of  Mr.  Nevin,  who  has  been  Trea- 
surer of  all  of  these  endowment  funds  from  the  beginning,  in  1842, 
and  of  all  other  funds  since  1848,  not  a  dollar  of  them  has  been 
lost  by  injudicious  investment,  or  otherwise.  This  is  the  point 
unto  which  we  have  now  attained.  In  the  contrast  with  former 
poverty  and  struggle,  we  have  no  reasons  for  boasting,  but  every 
reason  for  thanksgiving  to  the  Head  of  the  Church.  Progress  is 
thus  demonstrated  to  be  the  law  of  the  Seminary's  life ;  only  let  it 
be  greater  in  the  future,  and  ever  worthy  of  such  a  birthright,  at 
such  a  lime  as  this. 

It  is  now  time  for  us  to  pass  to  the  inner  life  of  our  beloved 
seminary,  as  represented  first  and  mainly  in  its 

PROFESSORS. 

In  this  subjective  branch  of  the  subject,  the  impossibility  of  detail 
and  incident  will  make  it  easy  to  fulfill  the  desire  for  condensation 
and  brevity.  Yet  here  we  have,  beneath  the  exposed  surface,  a 
history  vastly  more  important  than  any  thus  far  brought  out.  The 
character  and  efficiency  of  a  theological  seminary  depends  far  less 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINAItY.  /jj 


upon  pecuniary  resources,  and  outward  facilities,  than  upon  the 
ability,  aims,  and  fidelity  of  the  men  who  impart  its  instructions, 
embody  its  spirit,  lead  and  stimulate  its  movements,  and  become 
the  models  of  its  students.  Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  the 
piety,  scholarship,  habits,  manners,  temper,  and  force  of  the  Pro- 
fessors, are  largely  reproduced,  in  kind  and  degree,  in  their  pupils. 
We  have  all  known  how  easy  it  is,  often,  to  identify  a  young  minis- 
ter as  the  son  of  a  certain  Seminary,  or  as  the  admiring  student  of  a 
particular  Professor,  by  his  style  of  thought  and  expression,  as  well 
as  his  attitudes,  tones,  and  gestures.  Alas  !  the  defects  common  in 
such  a  case  are  even  more  likely  to  be  copied  than  the  excellencies. 
When  the  fundamental  qualities  of  an  efficient  ministry  enter,  for 
weal  or  woe,  into  this  vast  personal  influence,  the  interest  of  the 
Church  in  the  fitness  of  our  Theological  Instructors  is  beyond  cal- 
culation. These,  more  than  any  other  men,  must  mould  the  minis- 
try, and  ultimately  the  Church  itself. 

Happily  this  part  of  our  record  abounds  in  reasons  for  gratitude 
to  the  Head  of  the  Church,  and  there  is  no  part  of  it  which  we  would 
wish  to  blot.  The  Assembly  of  1827,  which  located  the  Seminary, 
also  elected  the  Rev.  Jacob  Jones  Janeway,  D.D.,  then  a  pastor  in 
Philadelphia,  Professor  of  Theology.  He  was  the  only  candidate 
nominated,  yet  it  is  not  without  interest  now,  that  in  counting  the 
ballots,  it  was  discovered,  much  to  his  own  surprise,  at  least,  that  the 
Rev.  David  Elliott,  a  member  of  that  Assembly  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Carlisle,  had  received  five  votes.  It  was  doubtless  the  shadow  of 
a  coming  event.  The  Professor  elect,  in  a  subsequent  letter  to  the 
Board,  declined  the  appointment,  but,  upon  urgency  and  reflection, 
changed  his  mind,  and  signified  his  acceptance  to  the  next  Assem- 
bly. Meanwhile  the  Board,  in  view  of  the  public  expectation,  and 
the  known  readiness  of  several  students  to  commence  their  studies, 
appointed  the  Rev.  Elisha  P.  Swift,  pastor  of  the  Second  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Pittsburgh,  to  give  instruction  in  theology,  and  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Stockton,  in  Hebrew.  In  fact,  the  former  took  entire 
charge  for  the  winter  session,  commencing  November  16,  1827,  and 
the  latter  for  the  summer  session  following,  there  being  four  stu- 
dents, in  all,  imder  their  charge,  viz.,  Thomas  Beer,  Isaac  T.  Ben- 
net,  Alfred  Hamilton,  and  Joseph  Reed,  of  whom  Brother  Beer  alone 
remains  to  tell  the  story  of  that  first-born  class.     One  year  later,  on 


ijS  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


the  arrival  of  the  regular  Professor,  they  were  joined  by  Alexander 
M.  Mcjunkin,  the  noble  and  beloved .  Alexander  B.  Brown,  after- 
wards the  eloquent  preacher,  and  honored  President  of  Jefferson  Col- 
lege, together  with  our  two  excellent  brethren,  the  Rev.  Adam  Tor- 
rence,  and  Aaron  Williams,  D.D.,  whom  we  affectionately  greet  on 
this  occasion. 

Dr.  Janeway  was  inaugurated  on  the  i6th  of  October,  1828,  in 
tlie  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburgh,  during  the  sessions  of 
the  Synod,  Drs.  McMillan,  Herron,  Brown,  Ralston,  and  Swift 
taking  part  in  the  services,  and  on  the  next  evening  he  delivered  his 
inaugural  address.  Dr.  John  McDowell,  then  of  Elizabethtown, 
New  Jersey,  had  been  elected  by  the  previous  Assembly,  to  the 
Chair  of  Church  History  and  Government,  but  had  declined.  Dr. 
Janeway  conducted  the  instructions,  during  the  winter,  with  the  aid 
of  his  son,  Thos.  L.  Janeway,  so  well  known  since  as  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions,  but  tendered  his  resignation  to 
the  Assembly  of  1829,  and  returned  to  Philadelphia.  His  chief  rea- 
son given,  was  the  fear  of  trouble  arising  out  of  doubtful  title  to  the 
property ;  but  it  was,  also,  privately  whispered  that  his  family  did 
not  fully  unite  with  the  Pittsburghers,  in  loving  their  city,  as  old 
ham  is  loved,  in  proportion  as  it  is  has  been  smoked!  In  the  want 
of  a  Professor,  the  students  were  dismissed  for  that  summer. 

The  same  Assembly  which  released  Dr.  Janeway  found  a  most 
worthy  successor  in  the  person  of  the  Rev.  Luther  Halsey,  D.D., 
then  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy  in  New  Jersey  College,  at 
Princeton.  His  inauguration  took  place  in  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Pittsburgh,  on  the  evening  of  October  19,  1829,  when 
the  Rev.  William  Jeffrey  preached,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hoge  de- 
livered the  charge  to  the  Professor.  His  inaugural  address  was  de- 
livered in  the  First  Church  the  next  evening.  His  plan  for  con- 
ducting the  studies  was  at  once  laid  before  the  Board,  and  approved, 
and  he  entered  upon  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  his  work.  Soon 
after  the  opening  of  the  session,  Mr.  John  W.  Nevin,  a  native  of 
Shippensburg,  Pa.,  who,  after  his  graduation  in  Princeton  Semi- 
nary, had  conducted,  for  some  two  years,  the  Chair  of  Biblical  and 
Oriental  Literature  in  that  institution,  during  the  absence  of  the 
Professor,  Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  in  Europe,  entered  upon  his  duties 
as  Instructor,  in  the  same  department  here,  by  appointment  of  the 


■^Idl 


y'^Jchh-Jadair- 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  139 


I  ii  j+ro.  Besides  the  six  students  of  the  former  session,  who  returned, 
nine  new  students  entered,  some  of  whom,  even  yet,  hold  a  high 
j)lace  in  the  service  and  honor  of  the  Church.  They  were  as  fol- 
lows, viz.,  James  Anderson,  John  C.  Lowrie,  A.  li.  •'  i'-  ^  Loyal 
Young,  -Wm.  Reed,  Joseph  S.  Wylie,  Robert  Glenn.  i-ion, 

and  Thomas  A.  Carothers.     Thus  equipped,  the  Sen2iu«. 
ward  with  marked  success,  in  everything  save  the  str.j;.,  ;-    ..  _ 
The  instructions  -were  able ;  the  attendance  or  iiP|MiKti 


iiiii    timicuoii, 

k,  at  Philadel- 

'  5,  i833>  wJule  on  his  way  hiit»cr  to  assume  the 

-.iij.ii  oi  iiiaiory,  to  which  he  had  been  chosen  by  the  previous 

Assembly. 

The  Assembly  of  1836  sanctioned  and  confirmed  the  transfer  of 
Dr.  Halsey  from  the  department  of  Theology  to  that  of  Church  His- 
tory and  Government,  and  placed  in  the  former  chair  the  Rev. 
David  Elliott,  then  pastor  of  the  church  of  Washington,  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  previous  Assembly  had  elected  Dr.  Elliott  to  the  vacant 
Chair  of  History;  but  he  had  declined.  His  chief  reason  was  his 
reluctance  to  undergo  separati      '  "^      '       .^      .     :   ■         ■ 

♦ions  were  most  affectionate 


'/n  of  the 
ier  to  Dr. 
i-..i-.:,       ,-     .    .  ._  ,.„....     How  the 

question  was  finally  of  all  parties,  ap- 

pears fully  in  the  foi  .1  ihc  report  of  the  Directors 

to  the  Assembly  of  1  ihe  published  minutes  of  that 

year:  "The  Board  are  gratified,"  says  the  report,  '« in  being  able 
to  state  that  Dr.  Elliott,  who  was  chosen  by  the  last  General  Asstir. 
bly  to  the  Professorship  of  Ecclesiastical  History^  has,  after  muvh 
deliberation,  'accepted  the  appointment.  Dr.  Halsey,  who  has, 
since  his  first  connection  with  the  Seminary,  conducted  both  the 
departments  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Didactic  Theology,  having 


I40  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


expressed  a  desire  that  he  should  be  transferred  to  the  Chair  of  Ec- 
clesiastical History,  and  Dr.  Elliott  to  that  of  Theology,  the  Board 
recommended  the  transfer  to  the  action  of  the  Assembly."  This 
change  was  accordingly  made. 

One  year  later,  Dr.  Halsey  resigned  his  place  in  the  Seminary. 
His  ability,  fidelity,  and  Christian  character,  had  won  for  him 
many  warm  admirers  and  friends,  alike  among  the  ministry  and  the 
people.  He  had  accomplished  eight  years  of  valuable  service  for  the 
Lord.  His  relations  to  the  Faculty  had  been  amicable  and 
brotherly.  The  Board  with  regret  parted  with  him.  His  pupils 
until  this  day  cherish  the  most  affectionate  remembrances  of  him. 
And  now,  in  his  beautiful  age,  his  own  abiding  attachment  for  this 
Seminary  is  seen  in  the  noble  benefaction,  through  which  he  shall 
continue  to  speak  when  death  shall  have  sealed  his  lips.  The  affection- 
ate confidence  of  the  Board  meets  him  on  this  occasion,  in  the  form 
of  a  cordial  invitation  to  deliver  lectures  to  the  classes  during  his  resi- 
dence here,  as  his  strength  may  permit,  on  important  branches  of 
their  course.  The  Lord's  blessing  be  upon  him  while  he  lingers 
among  us,  and  a  crown  of  glory  on  high  ! 

Dr.  Elliott  was  inaugurated  in  the  autumn  following  his  appoint- 
ment, when  Dr.  Henry  R.  Weed  delivered  an  able  charge. 
Through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the  Seminary,  he  has  remained,  in 
honor,  until  now.  At  the  time  of  his  entrance,  in  the  summer  of 
1836,  there  were  twenty-six  students ;  when  the  first  catalogue  was 
issued,  two  years  later,  the  number  had  risen  to  fifty.  The  studies 
of  the  Chair  left  vacant  by  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Halsey,  in  1837, 
were  conducted  by  Professor  Nevin,  an  assistant  having  been  em- 
ployed in  his 'own  department,  until  his  resignation,  in  1840,  to  be- 
come a  Professor  in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  then  at  Mercersburg,  Pa.  During  these  years,  he 
performed  acceptably  the  service,  and  wore  the  dignity  of  a  Profes- 
sor, without  formal  investiture,  simply  because  this  was  his  prefer- 
ence. He  is  still  the  recognized  leader  of  the  church  of  his  adoption. 
And,  although  we  may  be  less  inclined  than  formerly  to  confess  him  as 
a  representative  of  our  views,  on  some  very  important  questions,  there 
are  not  a  few  of  the  sons  of  Allegheny  who  will  cherish  in  memory 
the  ability  of  his  instructions,  and  the  earnestness  of  his  work,  as  well 
as  the  greatness  of  his  intellect  and  the  warmth  of  his  friendship. 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  ift 

The  spring  and  summer  of  1840  marked  one  of  the  severest  trials 
of  all  this  history.  The  retirement  of  Dr.  Nevin  left  Dr.  Elliott 
the  sole  Professor.  Straitened  finances,  diminished  classes,  and  a 
discouraged  spirit  in  the  church,  were  combined  into  a  heavy 
burden  upon  the  shoulders  of  one  man  of  unwavering  faith  and  reso- 
lute courage.  Had  the  heart  of  Dr.  Elliott  quailed  then,  the  Semi- 
nary would  have  come  to  its  burial.  But  the  Lord  again  interposed. 
Once  more  strength  was  born  from  the  .womb  of  necessity.  '^Fost 
tenebrosissimum,  sit  lux  P'  The  Rev.  Robert  Dunlap  of  blessed 
memory,  then  pastor  of  the  Second  Church  of  Pittsburgh,  gave  tem- 
porary assistance  in  teaching.  The  Rev.  Dr.  A.  D.  Campbell  still 
lectured  occasionally  on  Church  Government.  Meanwhile,  the 
crisis  was  met  with  prayerful  vigilance.  The  attention  of  the  Board 
was  called  to  the  Rev.  Lewis  W.  Green,  of  Kentucky,  as  a  suitable 
person  to  fill  the  Chair  of  Oriental  and  Biblical  Literature,  and  the 
Assembly  of  1840  gave  him  a  cordial  election.  The  announcement 
of  his  acceptance,  in  September  following,  brought  joy.  His  in- 
auguration took  place  October  26th,  1840,  when  a  sermon  by  Dr. 
Beatty,  a  charge  by  Dr.  McConaughy,  and  the  Professor's  address  on 
"The  interpretation  of  the  Bible,"  commanded  the  attention  of  a 
large  assembly.  Provision  having  been  made  for  the  salary  of  a 
third  Professor,  for  three  years,  by  special  subscription,  the  Rev. 
Alexander  T.  McGill,  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Carlisle,  Pa.,  was  chosen  as  Instructor,  in  1841,  and  elected  by  the 
Assembly  of  1842,  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church 
Government.  He  was  inaugurated  on  the  i8th  of  November  fol- 
lowing, the  Rev.  George  Marshall  preaching  the  sermon,  and  Dr. 
Herron  delivering  the  charge,  in  connection  with  the  Professor's 
address  on  "The  scope  and  significance  of  Church  History."  This 
re-organization  of  the  Faculty  was  satisfactory  to  the  church,  and 
attracted  students.  And  so  the  instruction  continued  for  five  years, 
when,  in  1847,  Dr-  Green  retired  to  take  charge  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Baltimore.  He  was  afterwards  succes- 
sively President  of  Hampden  Sidney  College,  Virginia,  and  of  Tran- 
sylvania University,  and  Centre  College,  in  his  own  native  Kentucky. 
While  in  the  last  position,  in  1862,  he  was  called  to  his  glorious 
rest.  He  was  a  fine  scholar,  an  eloquent  preacher,  and  a  genial, 
Christian  gentleman. 


142  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

The  chair  of  Dr.  Green  was  not  regularly  filled  until  1851.  The 
intervening  years  were  witnesses  of  the  struggle  to  complete  the 
endowment  of  the  two  professorships,  which  we  have  before  sketch- 
ed, and  therefore  were  years  of  economy.  Drs.  Elliott  and  McGill, 
by  means  of  extra  labor,  with  the  assistance  of  tutors,  carried  the 
classes  along  satisfactorily.  But  the  simultaneous  completion  of  this 
endowment  and  the  added  endowment  of  a  third  chair,  through  the 
lease  of  the  ground,  prepared  the  way  for  the  third  Professor.  The 
choice  fell  upon  the  Rev.  Melancthon  W.  Jacobus,  pastor  of  the 
First  Church  of  Brooklyn.  His  inauguration  did  not  take  place, 
however,  until  May  12,  1852.  The  venerable  Dr.  Herron  presided, 
and  delivered  the  charge.  Dr.  Jacobus,  after  a  valuable  service  of 
twenty  years,  in  the  Seminary  and  out  of  it,  is  still  at  his  post,  in 
the  full  vigor  of  Christian  manhood.  His  valuable  commentaries 
upon  the  Scriptures  have  won  for  him  a  high  reputation,  which  the 
Seminary  has  shared,  along  with  the  fruits  of  his  fine  scholarship. 

Two  years  later,  the  organization  of  the  Faculty  was  again  dis- 
turbed by  the  transfer  of  Dr.  McGill  to  the  Seminary  at  Princeton. 
The  question  of  his  removal  from  the  Institution  had  been  raised 
with  annoying  frequency,  by  calls  to  other  positions,  during  the 
twelve  years  of  his  incumbency,  but  now  the  movement  came  in  the 
way  of  a  formal  nomination  to  the  Assembly,  by  the  Princeton 
Directors,  for  a  chair  in  that  Seminary.  This  was  resisted  by  the 
friends  of  Allegheny,  on  the  ground  that  the  sanction  of  such  a  pre- 
datory warfare  of  one  Seminary  upon  another,  by  the  Assembly, 
would  be  of  disparaging  and  damaging  effect  upon  the  Institution. 
After  considerable  contest  in  the  Assembly,  Dr.  McGill  took  upon 
himself  the  responsibility,  by  expressing  a  personal  preference  for 
the  change,  whereupon  the  opposition  was  withdrawn,  and  he  was 
transferred.  The  friends  of  our  Seminary  had  always  given  him  a 
warm  support,  and,  at  that  time,  desired  his  continuance.  They 
valued  him  for  his  fine  qualities  as  a  Professor,  and  they  remembered 
his  excellent  work,  but  they  did  not  wish  to  retain  him  against  his 
own  desire.  The  Directors,  in  parting  with  him,  recorded  their 
sense  of  his  "valuable  services,"  and  their  prayerful  wish  that  "  the 
blessing  of  God"  might  rest  upon  him  in  his  new  sphere.  He  is 
still  efficiently  at  his  post  in  Princeton. 

The  vacancy  thus  created  in  the  Faculty  was  filled  by  the  same 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  t./j 

Assembly,  which  elected  William  S.  Plumer,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the 
Franklin  Street  Church  of  Baltimore,  Professor.  He  was  chosen 
without  his  consent,  or  even  knowledge,  and  with  a  distinct  under- 
standing of  his  unwillingness  to  accept  a  chair  of  history.  But  to 
meet  the  case,  a  resolution  was  passed,  authorizing  the  Board  of 
Directors,  in  conjunction  with  the  Professors,  to  make  such  an  ad- 
justment of  the  departments  of  instruction,  as  to  them  might  seem 
best,  duly  regarding  the  rights  of  each  Professor. 

It  is  proper  to  say  that,  being  myself  the  mover  of  that  resolution,  I 
offered  it  with  a  full  and  confidential  knowledge  of  Dr.  Elliott's  readi- 
ness to  surrender  the  chair  of  theology  to  a  younger  man,  and  to  take 
another  better  suited  to  his  time  of  life.  The  venerable  Dr.  Archi- 
bald Alexander,  of  Princeton,  at  about  the  same  age,  had  made  a  simi- 
lar change.  The  Directors  and  Faculty  had  no  difficulty  in  making 
such  a  re-arrangement  of  the  chairs.  Dr.  Elliott  was  made  Professor 
of  Polemic  and  Historical  Theology  and  Church  Government,  and 
Dr.  Plumer,  yielding  to  the  unanimous  urgency,  accepted  the  Pro- 
fessorship of  Didactic  and  Pastoral  Theology,  and  was  inaugurated 
October  20,  1854.  It  was  on  that  occasion  that  the  venerable  Dr. 
Swift,  then  in  his  sixty-third  year,  closed  his  masterly  charge  to  the 
new  Professor  with  touching  reminiscences  of  the  past  history  of  the 
Seminary,  rising  to  the  height  of  his  lofty  eloquence  as  he  said,  "  In 
respect  to  this  and  other  institutions,  common  to  us  all,  I  seem  to 
hear,  from  behind  the  curtain,  the  voices  of  our  still  much  loved 
McMillan,  Patterson,  McCurdy,  Jennings,  and  Brown,  saying.  On- 
ward /  Brethren,  Onward /  with  the  work  of  the  Lord  !  "  And 
lo,  now  for  these  seven  years,  the  voice  of  Swift  himself,  along  with 
that  of  Herron,  has  been  crying  from  behind  the  same  curtain. 
Onward  ! 

Dr.  Plumer  brought  to  the  Seminary  an  excellent  reputation  for 
piety,  orthoxy,  and  ability  as  a  leader  in  the  movements  of  the 
Church.  He  gave  it  also  the  full -benefit  of  his  large  acquaintance, 
his  great  personal  influence,  and  his  untiring  energy.  His  unusual 
power  to  gather  students  into  the  Seminary,  and  to  stimulate  their  re- 
ligious activities  when  there,  were  freely  acknowledged,  and  are  still 
held  in  vivid  remembrance.  The  number  in  attendance  in  1854, 
•^zs>  fifty-four ,  with  an  upward  tendency.  By  a  blessing  upon  the 
fidelity  of  each  of  the  Professors,  and  upon  their  harmonious  co- 


144 


PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


operation,  with  the  benefit,  also,  of  the  material  progress  before 
noted,  in  three  years  the  roll  contained  eighty-one  names,  and  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  in  i86i,.the  whole  number  was  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five.  The  complications  of  the  war  led  Dr.  Plumer 
to  resign  his  place  on  the  1 8th  of  September,  1862,  and  the  Board, 
with  regret  for  circumstances  over  which  they  had  no  control,  felt 
constrained  to  accept  his  resignation.  He  is  now  a  Professor  in  the 
Seminary  at  Columbia, .South  Carolina.  He  still  has  the  warm  per- 
sonal regard  of  the  Professors,  Directors,  and  alumni,  and  their  grati- 
tude for  his  valuable  services. 

The  Assembly  of  1857  elected  the  Rev.  Samuel  Jennings  Wilson 
Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Homiletics.  He  is  an  hon- 
ored son  of  the  Seminary  itself,  of  the  class  of  1855,  and  a  no  less 
honored  alumnus  of  Washington  College.  At  the  time  of  his  elec- 
tion, his  gifts  in  that  department  had  been  fully  tested  by  the  ex- 
perience of  one  year  as  Instructor.  His  was  known  as  the  fourth 
professorship,  the  endowment  of  which  was  started  in  1856.  Dr. 
Wilson  was  formally  inducted  April  27,  1858,  when  the  words  of 
charge  fell  upon  his  ears  from  the  lips  of  the  good  and  wise  Dr. 
Samuel  McFarren,  now  a  saint  in  glory.  He  is  still  a  Professor  of 
high  ability,  in  the  full  force  and  usefulness  of  his  calling,  and  in  the 
strength  of  his  early  manhood,  having  shared  with  like  zeal,  also,  the 
outside  efforts  of  his  brethren  to  build  up  the  institution.  Long 
may  he  be  spared  for  this  great  service  of  Christ,  as  well  as  to  utter, 
with  eloquent  earnestness,  the  Gospel  messages. 

The  next  Professor  chosen  was  Dr.  William  M.  Paxton,  the  pastor 
of  the  First  Church  of  Pittsburgh,  who  was  appointed  by  the  Assem- 
bly of  i860.  Professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoric,  and  inaugurated  on  the 
nth  of  April  following,  being  officially  and  happily  addressed  by 
William  D.  Howard,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  Second  Church  of  the  same 
city.  Dr.  Paxton's  connection  as  Professor  was  subordinate  to  his 
important  pastorate,  yet  his  courses  of  lectures,  gratuitously  given, 
were  received  with  great  pleasure  and  profit  by  the  students.  Since 
his  removal  to  New  York,  in  1865,  they  have,  of  course,  been  for 
the  most  part  interrupted,  and  for  this  reason,  he  has  felt,  at  length, 
constrained  to  resign  his  Chair. 

The  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander  Hodge,  D.D.,  a  son  of  the  venera- 
ble Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  of  Princeton,  a  Missionary  in  India  during 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  145 

the  first  years  of  his  ministry,  and  at  the  time  of  his  election,  a  pas- 
tor in  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  was  introduced  into  the  Chair  of  Didactic, 
Historical  and  Polemic  Theology,  November  2,  1864,  the  Assembly 
of  that  year  having  chosen  him  to  that  office.  The  Rev.  James  M. 
Piatt,  of  Zanesville,  Ohio,  delivered  the  address.  The  Professor's 
own  inaugural  address  struck  most  happily  a  key-note  below  which 
his  performance  has  never  fallen.  The  classes  continue  to  receive 
the  benefits  of  his  comprehensive,  thorough,  and  masterly  instruc- 
tion, whilst  his  theological  contributions  through  the  press  are  among 
the  most  accepted  representations  of  our  faith.  He  also  abides  with 
us,  in  the  fullest  confidence  of  the  Church,  a  champion  for  the  truth. 

The  last  addition  to  the  regular  corps  of  Professors  was  made  in  the 
person  of  Dr.  William  H.  Hornblower,  who  was  elected  to  the  Re- 
union Professorship  of  Sacred  Rhetoric,  Church  Government,  and 
Pastoral  Theology,  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  under  the  new 
arrangement  adopted  by  the  Assembly  of  1870,  which  gives  the 
entire  management  to  the  Directors,  retaining  the  power  of  veto 
in  the  Assembly  itself.  He  was  inaugurated  in  November  last. 
After  an  appropriate  charge  by  the  Rev.  George  Hill,  D.D.,  a 
member  of  the  Board,  his  own  offering  of  first  fruits  was  laid  upon 
the  altar,  in  pledge  of  the  abundant  harvest  of  benefits  to  be  ex- 
pected from  his  labors.  He  comes  among  us  with  an  excellent 
reputation,  and  fresh  in  the  sympathies  of  a  long  and  successful 
pastorate,  at  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  to  combine  with  the  culture 
of  scholarship,  practical  training  in  the  art  of  preaching,  as  well  as 
of  ruling  in  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

In  addition  to  these,  the  Rev.  Charles  C.  Beatty,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
has,  since  1863,  by  appointment  of  the  Board,  filled  the  office  of 
Lecturer  Extraordinary  on  Practical  Theology.  His  gratuitous  and 
able  service  in  this  respect  has  been  a  source  of  large  benefit  to  the 
students,  and  of  great  importance  to  the  Seminary.  Ill  health,  now, 
to  the  regret  of  all,  compels  his  withdrawal. 

Such  is  our  band  of  Professors.  Four  of  them  are  in  the  fulness 
of  their  manly  vigor,  each  one  possessing  distinct  traits  and  force 
peculiar  to  himself;  and  in  their  union  they  give  to  our  young  men 
the  advantage  of  a  variety  and  completeness  not  often  surpassed. 
At  their  head  remains  our  honored  father,  David  Elliott,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  after  a  service  covering  just  one-half  of  the  present  century. 
K 


/^6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

He  has  been  cordially  released  from  further  labor,  save  only  that,  in 
the  character  of  Emeritus  Professor,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years, 
he  shall  give  to  his  junior  Professors  and  the  students  his  wise  and 
pious  counsels,  commending  them  severally  to  the  grace  of  God,  in 
his  prayers,  as  he  nears  the  Promised  Land.  Profoundly  thankful. 
Fellow  Alumni,  for  the  good  Providence  which  has  preserved  him 
for  this  reunion,  with  a  cloudless  intellect  and  a  warm  heart,  shall 
we  not  invoke  a  blessing  for  him  while  he  lives,  and  then,  when  he 
dies,  each  of  us  cry,  * '  My  father,  my  father,  the  chariot  of  Israel 
and  the  horsemen  thereof?" 

But  what  shall  we  say,  in  the  last  place,  of 

THE   SONS   OF   THE  SEMINARY, 

who,  like  the  living  "jewels"  of  the  mother  of  the  Gracchi,  are 
the  best  of  all  fruits  and  witnesses  of  usefulness  ?  God's  blessing  is 
not  so  manifest  in  any  other  part  of  this  history,  as  in  the  number, 
character,  and  achievements  of  the  men  who  have  received  here  the 
double  culture  of  mind  and  heart,  which  prepared  them  for  the  toils 
and  faith  of  the  ministerial  work.  Of  the  one  thousand  and  forty- 
nine  who  have  been  matriculated,  a  very  small  proportion  have 
failed  to  enter  the  sacred  office.  In  the  first  years,  the  students  were 
generally  from  the  two  neighboring  colleges — ^Jefferson  supplying 
the  largest  number,  and  Washington  the  next ;  and  the  consolidated 
college  must  evidently,  in  the  career  of  prosperity  before  her,  ever 
be  the  best  source  of  supply.  But  the  growth  of  numbers,  and  the 
extended  list  of  literary  institutions  from  which  the  supplies  have 
come,  have  kept  pace  with  all  other  tokens  of  progress.  In  1856, 
the  Senior  Professor  reported  fifty-two  as  the  average  attendance 
from  the  beginning.  During  the  intervening  sixteen  years  it  has 
been  one  hundred  and  three.  The  highest  point  reached  was  in 
1 861,  when  the  roll  contained  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  names; 
the  lowest  number  since  was  seventy-three,  in  1867.  What  the 
numbers  would  have  been,  but  for  the  late  civil  war,  which  dimin- 
ished accessions  by  calling  to  the  battle-field  so  largely  the  students 
of  colleges  and  academies,  and  by  diverting  the  pursuits  of  so  many 
more  from  a  course  of  liberal  education,  cannot  now  be  accurately 
stated.  All  who  remember  the  circumstances  will  only  wonder  that 
our  own  and  other  Seminaries  maintained  their  ground  so  well.     The 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  147 

reaction  in  the  colleges  has  now  fairly  set  in,  and  in  the  flow  of  the 
future  we  can  see  greater  advancement  than  ever  before.  The 
present  number  of  students,  eighty- three,  is  an  increase  of  eight 
over  the  last  year.  And  they  represent  twenty-two  colleges  and  ten 
States  of  the  Union,  as  well  as  three  foreign  countries.  Amherst 
in  Massachusetts,  Cornell  in  New  York,  Princeton  in  New  Jersey, 
Hanover  and  Wabash  in  Indiana,  and  the  University  of  Virginia, 
send  sons  to  sit  in  these  seats,  along  with  those  of  nine  institutions 
of  Ohio  and  five  of  Pennsylvania. 

If  we  would  trace  the  alumni  of  the  Seminary,  we  must  go  to 
nearly  every  part  of  our  own  land,  and  to  nearly  every  missionary 
field  of  the  world.  Three  honored  sons  are  secretaries  of  Boards  of 
the  Church,  viz.,  the  Senior  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, the  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and  the  Secretary  of 
the  Freedmen's  Committee.  We  are  ably  represented  in  the  pulpits 
of  Albany,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Harrisburg,  Baltimore,  Pitts- 
burgh, Cincinnati,  Columbus,  Louisville,  Lexington,  St.  Louis, 
Springfield,  and  other  leading  cities,  as  well  as  a  vast  number  of 
places  less  prominent,  but  not  less  difficult  or  important.  A  fair 
contribution  of  efficient  men  has  certainly  been  made  to  presidential 
and  professorial  chairs,  and  to  editorial  work.  How  richly  the 
churches  covering  the  territory  of  the  old  Pittsburgh  Synod  have 
received  back  all  their  outlay,  with  interest,  appears  in  the  statistics, 
which  show  that  in  the  ministry  of  the  present  Synod  of  the  same 
name,  numbering  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven,  there  are  eighty- 
eight  alumni  of  the  Seminary ;  that,  in  the  Synod  of  Erie,  there  are' 
eighty-nine  out  of  one  hundred  and  forty-six  ;  and  that,  in  the  three 
Presbyteries  of  the  Synod  of  Cleveland  lying  within  the  same  origi- 
nal bounds,  there  are  forty-six  out  of  eighty-eight.  In  Eastern 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  most  of  the  old  States  out  of  New  England, 
few  Presbyteries  are  without  one  or  more  of  them.  Looking  west  of 
us,  by  state  boundaries,  we  now  find  one  hundred  and  twenty-one 
living  sons  of  the  Seminary  located  in  Ohio,  fifty-two  in  Illinois, 
thirty-five  in  Iowa,  nineteen  in  Indiana,  twenty-one  in  Missouri, 
seventeen  in  West  Virginia,  fourteen  in  Kansas,  nine  in  Minnesota, 
five  in  Nebraska,  eight  in  Wisconson,  eight  in  California,  three  in  Ore- 
gon, and  some  in  other  Western  States,  and  in  most  of  the  territories. 
A  considerable  number  are  to  be  found  in  the  Southern  States. 


t^S  •  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

In  all  these  various  localities,  these  sons  of  Allegheny  bear  their 
witness  to  the  training  received  here.  They  differ  from  each  other, 
of  course,  in  attainments,  zeal,  and  efficiency.  But,  like  the 
students  of  any  other  institution,  they  are  more  or  less  moulded 
into  one  type.  It  is  far  from  being  the  only  claim  we  make  for 
them,  but  it  is  certainly  a  chief  one,  that,  as  a  general  rule,  they 
become,  in  the  field  of  work,  practical  preachers  and  efficient 
pastors.  In  their  drill,  scholastic  culture  is  secured,  but  it  is  subor- 
dinated to  actual  power.  Without  any  disparagement  of  our  other 
excellent  Seminaries,  or  invidious  comparison  with  them,  but  in  full 
acknowledgment  of  their  excellencies  and  advantages,  we  may  be 
allowed  a  sense  of  pleasure  in  the  fact  that  our  students  are  so  largely 
sought  by  congregations,  alike  amidst  the  refinements  of  Eastern, 
and  the  more  rugged  energies  of  Western  society. 

But,  after  all,  our  loftiest  joy  is  derived  from  the  connection  of 
our  Seminary  with  Foreign  Missions.  It  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that 
the  old  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  in  the  midst  of  which  it  was  established, 
resolved  itself,  at  its  first  meeting,  in  1802,  amidst  the  glow  of  the 
great  religious  revival,  into  a  Western  Missionary  Society,  with 
special  reference  to  the  conversion  of  the  Indian  tribes.  In  1831, 
the  same  body  organized  the  "  Western  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety," taking  "  the  world"  for  "  the  field."  Its  first  efficient  and 
eloquent  secretary  was  the  same  Dr.  Swift  who,  four  years  before, 
had  given  the  first  note  of  instruction  in  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary.  It  became,  by  the  adoption  of  the  General  Assembly,  in 
1838,  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  for  the  whole  church,  and  it 
now  has,  in  the  re-united  church,  a  force  of  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  foreign  laborers,  male  and  female,  in  the  field,  besides  a  large 
number  of  native  ministers,  and  three  hundred  and  seventy-eight 
native  helpers.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  missionary  spirit  which 
prompted  such  an  organization,  should  have  provided  a  "  school  of 
the  prophets,"  located  at  the  same  centre.  Nor  is  it  any  more 
strange  that  the  first  missionaries  sent  out  by  this  Presbyterian  so- 
ciety should  have  been  from  that  very  school.  John  C.  Lowrie  and 
William  Reed  went  forth  in  1833,  as  the  vanguard  of  the  army  of 
conquest,  in  Northern  India,  and  were  followed,  one  year  later,  by 
James  Wilson  and  John  Newton,  now  the  veteran  missionary  of 
thirty-eight  years.      The  year  1834  also  gave  John  Cloud  to  touch 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  149 

the  shores  of  West  Africa,  and  die,  whilst  his  classmate,  Joseph 
Kerr,  went  forth  to  the  Western  Indians.  In  1836,  Edward  Cope 
became  our  witness  at  Ceylon,  and  Robert  W.  Orr,  of  our  Board, 
and  Joseph  S.  Travelli,  of  the  American  Board,  lifted  up  their  voices 
in  China.  Two  years  later  still,  Joseph  Warren  joined  the  noble 
company  in  Northern  India ;  at  the  same  time,  also,  William 
Hamilton  became  the  pioneer  among  the  Iowa  Indians,  soon  to  be 
followed  by  Stephen  R.  Riggs,  among  the  Sioux.  Thus  the  first 
nine  classes  were  represented,  amidst  heathen  altars,  by  twelve 
foreign  missionaries,  witnesses  for  Christ  and  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  her  organized  capacity.  To  their  number  have  been 
added,  from  time  to  time,  a  most  worthy  succession.  Among  the 
sainted  dead  are  the  noble  FuUerton  and  the  murdered  Campbell 
and  Johnson  of  India,  the  consecrated  PauU,  of  Africa,  and  the 
faithful  Sharpe,  of  South  America.  In  China,  besides  Speer  and 
Green,  whom  failing  health  recalled,  Happer,  after  a  service  of 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  Noyes,  and  Mateer,  and 
Lyon,  and  Corbett,  still  answer  to  the  roll-call,  while  Condit  fol- 
lows seven  years  of  service  there  with  a  like  work  among  the 
Chinese  of  California.  Leavitt  and  Williams  are  back  in  this 
country,  but  the  Newtons  (the  father  and  two  sons),  "Wykoff,  W.  F. 
Johnson,  Holcomb,  and  Kelso,  still  blow  the  Gospel  trumpet  on 
the  plains  of  Northern  India.  McDonald,  McFarland,  and  George, 
are  our  living  representatives  in  Siam,  and  Thompson  in  Japan. 
Blackford,  Schneider,  and  Wallace,  are  still  bearing  aloft  the  Gospel 
banner  in  South  America ;  and  McLaren  was,  for  three  years,  of 
their  company.  Burtt,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  pioneers, 
served  his  day  among  the  western  tribes ;  and,  while  we  are  here, 
D.  F.  McFarland  and  Roberts  stand  up  for  Jesus  in  New  Mexico. 
And  that  the  same  Christian  heroism  has  not  died  out,  is  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  our  young  brother  Hull,  of  the  present  graduating 
class,  goes  with  his  most  worthy  companion  Graham,  of  the  Semi- 
nary at  Princeton,  to  join  the  band  who  testify  the  grace  of  God 
in  Western  India.  The  name  of  another  member  of  the  class  is 
now  before  the  Board  for  appointment  to  some  foreign  field.  Shall 
not  all  of  these  precious  names  have  a  warm  place  in  our  hearts, 
amidst  the  joys  of  this  re-union  ?  Nor  shall  we  cherish  less  the  far 
larger  number  who,  with  toil  and  trial  as  great  have  rushed  over 


ISO  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION 

mountains,  prairies,  and  wildernesses,  to  supply  the  destitutions  of 
our  great  and  growing  country.  They  are  our  brethren  in  the 
largest  fellowship  of  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  are 
with  us  now,  in  spirit. 

But  now  I  hasten  to  the  conclusion.  We  surely  cknnot  be  with- 
out an  overpowering  sense  of  gratitude  to  God,  in  this  review  of  his 
mercies.  The  Seminary  has  been  preserved  through  the  most  peril- 
ous vicissitudes,  recurring  almost  annually  during  the  first  half  of  its 
history,  but,  at  last,  it  has  been  led  by  the  invisible  hand  up  to  the 
fulness  of  strength.  Its  foundations  were  laid  in  faith,  and  the  all- 
seeing  Preserver  has  looked  down  upon  it  in  love,  during  all  these 
years.  The  prayers  of  the  sainted  Patterson  which  consecrated  every 
room  of  the  first  building  apart,  and  never  failed,  in  any  place,  to 
ask  a  covenant-keeping  God  to  '•'^/(?^j />^<? /^ai'i',"  represented  then, 
and  have  been  followed  since,  by  petitions  of  like  earnestness  from 
many  other  hearts,  which  remain  an  unblotted  record  before  the 
Throne.  In  answer  thereunto,  the  Holy  Ghost  has  kept  the  fire  of 
a  true  devotion  burning  upon  the  heart-altars  of  Professors,  Directors, 
and  friends,  and  has  drawn  hither  and  sanctified  the  young  men  of 
the  Church,  in  gratifying  numbers. 

The  work  oi  forty-five  years  for  Christ,  in  training  godly  mini- 
sters for  his  service,  can  never  be  undone.  Neither  can  the  vantage 
ground,  which  has  been  reached,  ever  be  lost.  There  are  consecra- 
ted men,  by  hundreds,  who,  in  the  full  equipment  received  here,  are 
nobly  fighting,  upon  as  many  fields,  the  battles  of  the  Lord  against 
error  and  sin.  And  there  are  large  classes  in  the  institution  panting 
to  follow  them.  T\\q  future  we  may  read  in  the  covenant  of  which 
our  risen  Redeemer  is  "surety;"  in  the  Providence  which,  by  means 
of  science,  art,  commerce,  and  government,  is  annihilating  the  bar- 
riers of  distance,  tradition,  and  caste,  for  the  fusion  of  races  into  one 
Gospel  brotherhood ;  in  the  problem  of  the  uncounted  millions  des- 
tined soon  to  throng  this  vast  continent,  whose  destiny  only  the 
"Great  Commission"  can  solve;  in  the  rising  spirit  of  the  Church 
and  ministry,  to  enter  the  open  doors  of  a  waiting  world  with  the 
Word  of  Life ;  and  in  the  eternal  purpose  which  the  blood  of  Calvary 
lias  sealed,  assuring  to  our  faith  for  Christ  the  heathen  for  his  inheri- 
tance, and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  his  possession.  For 
the  great  achievement,  let  the  Western  Theological  Seminary  ever  be 


WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  ijt 

held  in  holy  dedication,  and,  while  life  lasts,  let  every  one  of  her 
sons  be  a  faithful  witness  in  behalf  of  the  coming  glory  of  Jesus,  the 
Saviour  of  lost  men. 


SUPPLEMENT. 

The  decision  of  the  committee  of  publication  to  insert  the  fore- 
going history  of  the  Theological  Seminary  in  this  volume,  as  a  legiti- 
mate part  of  the  century's  record,  makes  it  necessary  to  add  a  brief 
notice  of  the  intervening  years. 

The  venerable  Dr.  Elliott  was  present  at  the  happy  reunion  of 
1872,  to  pronounce,  from  the  fulness  of  a  father's  heart,  his  blessing 
upon  the  hundreds  of  ministerial  sons  then  assembled.  But,  after 
gentle  stages  of  declining  health,  he  entered  into  the  heavenly  rest, 
March  18,  1874,  in  the  triumph  of  faith,  still  whispering,  with  his 
last  breath,  petitions  for  God's  favor  upon  the  beloved  Seminary,  as 
well  as  its  Professors,  students,  and  alumni.  The  warmest  expres- 
sions of  reverential  love,  both  official  and  personal,  attested  the 
strength  of  ties  which  nothing  but  death  could  have  sundered.  A 
small  memorial  volume,  only  too  feebly  written,  preserves  the  facts 
of  his  history,  and  an  outline  of  his  noble  character. 

An  important  addition  to  the  instruction  of  the  institution  was 
made,  in  1874,  by  the  erection  of  the  chair  of  New  Testament  Litera- 
ture and  Exegesis.  The  Professor  unanimously  chosen  is  the  Rev. 
Samuel  T.  Lowrie,  D.D.,  an  alumnus  of  Miami  University,  a  son  of  the 
Seminary  itself,  of  the  class  of  1856,  and,  at  the  time  of  his  election, 
the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Abington,  Pennsylvania. 
His  inauguration  took  place  in  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Pittsburgh,  November  10,  1874.  The  Rev.  S.  F.  Scovel  delivered  an 
appropriate  charge  to  the  new  Professor,  who  followed  with  an  in- 
augural address,  ably  setting  forth  the  scope  of  his  proposed  instruc- 
tion. His  excellent  scholarship,  joined  with  assiduous  labor,  have 
already  given  him  a  fine  reputation  in  the  Seminary,  which  is  extend- 
ing through  the  Church. 

In  the  number  of  students  the  Seminary  holds  its  ground  with  an 
upward  tendency.  The  accessions  of  the  present  year  were  over  forty. 
Ninety-five  of  the  students  have  gone  forth  into  the  ranks  of  the 


tS2  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

ministry  since  the  reunion  of  1872.  Of  these  five  have  gone  as  mis- 
sionaries to  the  foreign  field,  making  the  whole  number  fifty-four 
who  have  represented  the  institution  among  the  idolatries  of  heath- 
enism. 


MISSIONARY    HISrORY. 


BY 


REV.  ELLIOT  E.  SWIFT,  D.D. 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


IT  is  highly  probable  that  the  missionary  spirit  by  which 
the  fathers  of  Western  Pennsylvania  were  animated 
hastened  the  organization  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh. 
We  may  infer  this  from  the  action  taken  by  that 
venerable  body  at  its  first  meeting.  The  General  Assembly  of 
May,  1802,  had  ordered  that  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  in  whose  terri- 
tory all  this  region  was,  should  be  divided  into  three  Synods,  and 
that  the  Presbyteries  of  Redstone,  Ohio,  and  Erie  should  constitute 
the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh.  The  elements  of  this  future  Synod  accord- 
ingly assembled  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburgh,  on 
Wednesday,  September  29,  1802.  After  having  completed  their 
organization  and  provided  rules  for  their  government,  they  re- 
solved "That  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  shall  be  styled  the  Western 
Missionary  Society;"  and  they  add,  in  a  second  resolution,  "The 
object  of  the  Missionary  Society  is  to  diffuse  the  knowledge  of 
the  Gospel  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  new  settlements,  the 
Indian  tribes,  and  if  need  be,  among  some  of  the  interior  inhabi- 
tants, where  they  are  not  able  to  support  the  Gospel." 

These  resolutions  were  intended  to  affirm  that  each  member  of 
the  Synod  should  regard  himself  as  under  obligations  to  carry  the 
Gospel  to  the  destitute,  and,  as  bound  by  virtue  of  his  connection 
with  the  Synod,  to  contribute  his  most  earnest  prayers,  his  most 
mature  counsel,  and  his  largest  official  influence  to  the  success  of 
this  great  work. 

Does  not  this  action,  taken  by  the  Synod  at  its  very  first  meeting, 
reveal  the  fact  that  the  missionary  spirit  had  been  stimulating,  for 
^55 


JSb  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

years  before,  the  fathers  who  labored  in  these  wild  and  perilous  re- 
gions ?  Does  it  not  prove  that  the  erection  of  the  Synod  was  only 
a  means  to  the  better  accomplishment  of  an  end,  and  that  while  its 
organization  would  no  doubt  have  been  effected  in  due  time,  de- 
manded by  the  necessities  of  the  country,  the  missionary  zeal  of 
these  fathers  nevertheless  accelerated  that  important  event  ? 

The  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  transacted  much  of  its  mission  work  by 
means  of  a  Board  of  Trust.  This  was  nothing  else  than  what  is 
styled  in  modern  times  an  executive  committee.  It  consisted  of 
seven  members,  who  were  elected  annually,  and  transacted  all 
business  in  the  interim  of  synodical  meetings.  It  made  a  full 
report  to  that  body,  submitting  therewith  the  journals  of  its 
missionaries.  The  following  persons  constituted  the  Board  of  Trust 
as  originally  organized :  Rev.  Messrs.  John  McMillan,  David  Smith, 
Thomas  Marquis,  and  Thomas  Hughes,  together  with  Messrs.  James 
Edgar,  William  Plumer,  and  James  Caldwell,  elders.  The  prin- 
ciple of  rotation  in  position  and  service  on  this  Board  appears  to 
have  been  popular  in  the  Synod,  for  from  the  year  of  its  organiza- 
tion, frequent  changes  occur  in  the  names  of  both  ministers  and 
elders. 

The  subjects  of  these  missionary  efforts  may  be  divided,  as  indeed 
they  were  in  the  constitution  of  the  society,  into  two  classes.  The 
first  embraced  the  Indian  tribes,  some  of  whose  settlements  were 
within  the  territory  of  the  Synod. 

The  deep  interest  taken  in  these  roving  sons  of  the  forest  is  to  be 
attributed,  first  of  all,  to  the  religious  character  of  the  fathers  in 
Western  Pennsylvania.  With  them  the  doctrines  of  the  apostacy  of 
the  race,  and  of  redemption  through  Christ,  were  more  than  mere 
idle  fancies.  They  firmly  believed  that  the  people  of  these  untutored 
and  often  treacherous  tribes  had  immortal  souls,  and  were  daily 
perishing  "for  lack  of  knowledge."  But  they  could  not  believe 
this  without  putting  forth  some  corresponding  effort. 

Apart  from  this  however,  it  should  be  remembered  that  from  a 
very  early  date  the  work  of  the  Church  in  America  had  been  largely  of 
a  missionary  character.  The  whole  western  continent  was  covered 
by  these  aborigines,  who  were  legitimate  subjects  of  missionary 
effort.  It  was  with  specific  reference  to  their  evangelization  that 
some  of  the  noblest  men  in  the  early  ministry  of  our  country  had 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  IS7 

come  to  America.  It  was  not  always  the  fascination  of  a  virgin 
soil  and  an  unbroken  country  which  brought  them.  Nor  was  it 
always  the  desire  to  escape  from  civil  disabilities  and  persecu- 
tions. We  do  not  indeed  deny  that  these  and  other  inferior 
motives,  may  at  times,  have  operated.  But  often  the  considera- 
tion was  much  more  spiritual  and  missionary.  They  remem- 
bered the  promise,  "they  that  dwell  in  the  wilderness  shall  bow 
before  Him."  They  saw  nothing  impracticable  in  bringing  the 
Indians  speedily  under  the  power  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  early  and 
successful  missions  established  in  all  parts  of  the  country  are  the 
memorials  of  their  faith  and  zeal,  to  stand  while  time  shall  last. 

This  then  one  hundred  years  ago,  was  one  of  the  great  religious 
movements  of  the  times,  and  the  fathers  of  Western  Pennsylvania 
were  in  sympathy  with  it.  They  had  missions  among  the  Wyan- 
dots  at  Sandusky,  the  Senecas  near  Buffalo,  the  Ottawas  at  Maumee, 
and  the  Cornplanters  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Allegheny.  Their 
work  consisted  in  securing  lands,  opening  schools,  employing  inter- 
preters, giving  instruction  in  the  arts  of  agriculture,  and  in  preach- 
ing the  Gospel.  The  mission  among  the  Ottawas  was  conducted  with 
great  energy.  In  1825  it  was  transferred  by  the  Synod  to  the  United 
Foreign  Missionary  Society,  and  in  May,  1826,  it  was  transferred 
by  the  General  Assembly  to  the  American  Board. 

As  specimens  of  the  minutes  often  made  by  the  Synod,  with  re- 
gard to  this  part  of  the  work,  we  read  that  in  1804,  "  Rev.  George 
Scott  reported  his  mission  to  the  Indians,  at  Sanduskytown  and 
Brownstown,  accompanied  by  Mr.  John  Bruce.  Synod  approved 
the  prudence,  diligence,  and  fidelity  of  Mr.  Scott,  and  ordered  that 
both  Messrs.  Scott  and  Bruce  be  paid  from  the  missionary  fund  of 
Synod." 

Then  again  in  the  minutes  of  1822,  we  read  :  "At  a  meeting  of 
the  Board  of  Trust  of  the  Western  Missionary  Society,  held  in 
Washington,  Pa.,  on  the  3d  day  of  October,  1822,  on  motion,  re- 
solved unanimously  that  the  Synod  be  requested  to  appoint  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Tait,  Superintendent  pro  tern,  of  the  mission  family  about  to 
be  located  among  the  Ottawa  Indians,  on  the  Maumee  river,  and 
that  the  Synod  direct  the  adjacent  Presbyteries  to  appoint  supplies 
for  Mr.  Tait's  pulpit  during  his  absence.  This  recommendation 
of  the  Synod  was  unanimously  adopted." 


1^8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

Some  of  the  fathers  of  the  Synod  were  especially  active  in  these 
missions  among  the  Indians,  of  whom  were  Rev.  Messrs.  William 
Wick,  John  McPherrin,  George  Hill,  James  Hughes,  Thomas  Mar- 
quis, Michael  Law,  George  M.  Scott,  James  Satterfield,  Samuel 
Tait,  Thomas  E.  Hughes,  Elisha  Macurdy,  and  Joseph  Badger. 

The  other  class  in  whose  behalf  missionary  efforts  were  made, 
were  "the  inhabitants  of  the  new  settlements."  The  large  propor- 
tion of  these  were  Scotch  Presbyterians  from  the  North  of  Ireland, 
who  had  escaped  from  the  intolerance  of  episcopacy.  As  they 
landed  in  the  ports  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  they  were  en- 
couraged by  the  authorities  to  move  towards  the  western  frontier. 
It  was  self-interest  no  doubt,  which  suggested  this  policy.  These 
scattered  settlers  would  defend  the  inhabitants  of  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Virginia  against  the  attacks  of  cunning  and  treacherous 
Indians.  They  would  subserve  the  same  purpose  with  the  break- 
water, when  it  receives  and  destroys  the  violence  of  the  impetuous 
waves.  And  now  these  Scotch-Irish  families,  having  found  these 
wild  and  widely  scattered  homes,  must  not  be  lost  to  the  Church 
and  the  land.  They  were  strong  in  their  attachments  to  the  West- 
minster Confession,  and  they  knew  nothing  but  the  usages  of  Pres- 
byterian discipline  and  worship.  They  must  be  gathered,  organized 
into  churches,  and  supplied  occasionally  with  the  ordinances  of  re- 
ligion, until  houses  could  be  built  and  pastors  provided. 

And  here  again  a  few  specimens  from  the  records  of  the  Synod 
will  be  full  of  interest.  Thus,  in  1802,  "Rev.  John  McPherrin  was 
appointed  a  missionary  for  one  month,  his  field  of  missions  to  be 
the  Connecticut  Reserve." 

In  1803,  "  Rev.  Robert  Patterson  was  appointed  a  missionary,  to 
itinerate  one  month  in  the  settlements  adjacent  to  Lake  Erie,  to  set 
out  as  soon  as  convenient." 

In  the  same  year,  "Rev.  Elisha  Macurdy,  of  the  Presbytery  df 
Ohio,  was  appointed  to  go  one  month  on  a  mission  in  the  settle- 
ments down  the  Ohio  river,  to  set  out  on  the  first  of  November 
next." 

"  Rev.  John  Wright,  a  licentiate  under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Redstone,  was  appointed  to  spend  two  months  on  a  mission  in 
the  settlements  down  the  Ohio  river,  to  commence  his  route  at 
Waynesburg." 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  159 

i 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  conspicuous  missionary  laborers 
in  this  region  was  the  Rev.  Joseph  Badger.  He  was  born  in  Wil- 
braham,  Mass.,  February  28,  1757.  The  earlier  as  well  as  the 
later  history  of  this  devoted  servant  of  Christ  is  full  of  incident. 
There  is  a  fascination  in  it  by  which  the  reader  is  carried  captive. 
When  entering  his  nineteenth  year  he  joined  the  army  of  his  coun- 
try and  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  1779,  while 
under  the  instruction  of  Rev.  Jeremiah  Day,  he  became  impressed 
with  the  truth  of  the  Bible.  As  the  result  of  the  moral  change  then 
wrought,  he  abandoned  all  thought  of  returning  to  the  army,  and 
entered  upon  a  course  of  study  with  a  view  of  the  ministry.  During 
his  senior  year  while  at  Yale  College  he  constructed  a  planetarium, 
for  which  the  corporation  paid  him  one  hundred  dollars.  In  1 700 
he  was  appointed  by  the  Connecticut  Missionary  Society  to  labor 
in  the  Western  Reserve.  Having  reached  his  field,  he  preached  in 
Youngstown,  Hudson,  Cleveland,  Austinburgh,  Maumee  Station, 
Ashtabula,  and  Gustavius,  organizing  churches  where  it  seemed 
practicable.  He  was  present  at  the  organization  of  the  Synod  of 
Pittsburgh  as  a  missionary  of  the  Connecticut  Society,  and  was  in- 
vited to  sit  as  a  corresponding  member.  But  having  in  the  mean- 
time connected  himself  with  the  Presbytery  of  Erie,  the  next  year  he 
appeared  as  a  member  of  Synod.  In  1806  he  declined  a  reappoint- 
ment from  the  Connecticut  Society,  and  accepted  a  commission  from 
the  Western  Missionary  Society  at  Pittsburgh.  While  returning 
from  this  city,  and  while  still  far  from  home,  he  received  the  sad 
intelligence  of  the  death  of  one  of  his  daughters.  At  another  time, 
while  absent  on  one  of  his  missionary  tours,  his  house  was  burned, 
with  nearly  all  his  provisions  and  furniture.  He  was  happy  in  ex- 
pedients, boundless  in  his  resources,  and  indefatigable  in  his  labors. 
It  is  impossible  to  read  the  published  sketches  of  this  man  without 
the  conviction  that  he  was  raised  up  by  God  for  a  special  work.  He 
died  at  Perrysburgh,  Ohio,  in  1846,  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age. 

The  missionary  zeal  of  the  Rev.  Elisha  Macurdy  also  demands 
some  special  mention.  He  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Pa.,  on  the  15th 
of  October,  1763,  and  was  baptized  in  the  old  log  meeting-house  on 
Pomfret  Street,  by  Rev.  George  Duffield,  D.D.,  grandfather  of  the 
late  Dr.  Duffield,  of  Detroit.  After  several  changes  in  location,  his 
father  settled  in  Ligonier  Valley,  Westmoreland  county.      Elisha, 


ibo  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

who  was  then  twenty-one  years  of  age,  did  much  by  his  exertion  to 
maintain  the  family.  He  thus  acquired  habits  of  industry  and 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  both  of  which  were  of  advantage  to 
him  in  his  subsequent  preparation  for  the  ministry.  He  was 
awakened  under  the  preaching  of  Rev.  James  Hughes,  and  admitted 
to  full  communion  in  the  Church  of  Salem,  under  Rev.  John  Mc- 
Pherrin.  The  earnestness  of  his  piety  appeared  in  his  often  rising 
in  the  night  for  prayer,  and  in  his  frequently  urging  the  importance 
of  personal  religion  on  those  he  met.  After  he  had  determined  to 
study  for  the  ministry,  he  sold  the  farm  he  had  acquired  by  his  own 
industry,  to  secure  the  necessary  funds.  He  entered  the  Academy 
at  Canonsburg  in  1792,  and  afterward  studied  theology  with  Rev. 
John  McMillan,  D.D.  He  was  licensed  on  the  26th  of  June,  1 799,  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  and  ordained  and  installed  over  the  united 
congregations  of  Cross  Roads  and  Three  Springs,  in  June,  1800. 

Soon  after  his  licensure,  he  made  two  missionary  tours  through 
the  region  bordering  on  Lake  Erie,  preaching  frequently,  and  in 
places  where  the  Gospel  was  seldom  heard.  Indeed,  he  was  so  much 
interested  in  these  missionary  labors  that  he,  for  a  time,  declined 
calls  from  churches  which  were  quite  importunate  for  his  services. 

He  was  most  conspicuous  however,  in  his  missionary  efforts  for 
the  Indians. 

In  the  spring  of  1804  he  received  as  inmates  of  his  family,  two 
Indian  lads — John  Barnett  of  the  Wyandots,  and  Peter  Johnson  of 
the  Mohawks.  The  history  relating  to  the  former  of  these  is  long 
and  full  of  interest. 

In  April,  1808,  he  went  with  Rev.  Messrs.  Marquis  and  Ander- 
son to  Sandusky  to  inquire  into,  and  adjust,  certain  difficulties  in 
that  mission.  Circumstances  appeared  to  require  that  Mr.  Macurdy 
should  remain  for  six  months  in  charge  of  the  station,  while  the 
other  members  of  the  committee  returned  home.  During  this  period 
he  obtained  a  very  vivid  impression  of  the  depravity  and  degrada- 
tion of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  of  the  trials  and  dangers  incidental  to 
a  missionary's  life  among  them.  In  one  instance  he  discovered  very 
remarkable  courage  and  firmness,  and  even  severity,  in  resisting  the 
demands  made  by  a  band  of  squalid  and  debauched  red-men.  Such 
was  his  tact  and  management  that  he  acquired  great  influence  over 
the  Indians  generally. 


MISSIO.VARY  HISTORY.  i6i 


In  1811,  he  visited  Sandusky  a  second  time,  to  adjust  difficulties 
growing  out  of  the  relations  of  the  superintendent  and  teacher. 

In  September,  18 16,  he  performed  a  missionary  tour  to  the  station 
of  the  Cornplanter  Indians,  to  ascertain  the  practicability  of  estab- 
lishing a  second  school  among  them,  and  in  October,  181 8,  he  again 
visited  them. 

In  the  spring  of  18 19,  in  company  with  Rev.  James  Scott,  he 
visited  the  Indians  at  Sandusky,  and  again  in  May,  1821. 

Having  been  appointed  to  visit  Maumee,  and  prepare  for  the 
mission  to  be  established,  he  set  out  in  August,  1822,  in  company 
with  Rev.  Joseph  Stevenson.  During  his  stay  of  two  months,  he 
manifested  great  energy  and  prudence  in  making  arrangements  for 
and  in  raising  the  buildings.  He  refused  to  accede  to  exorbitant 
terms  first  proposed  by  laborers,  and  as  the  work  advanced,  he 
promptly  dismissed  the  indolent  and  incompetent.  While  supervis- 
ing the  whole,  he  also  performed  as  much  labor  as  any  man  on  the 
ground,  besides  supplying  the  station  with  the  Gospel  on  the  Sabbath, 

In  1823,  we  find  him  again  visiting  Maumee,  and  while  on  his 
return  he  was  prostrated  by  a  fever,  from  the  effects  of  which  he 
did  not  soon  recover. 

In  the  spring  of  1825,  he  visited  the  same  station  with  Rev.  James 
C.  Crane,  and  soon  after  he  made  what  proved  to  be  his  final  visit, 
this  time  in  company  with  Rev.  Dr.  Anderson. 

All  these  missionary  tours  were  undertaken  by  the  appointment 
of  the  Society,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Elliott  has  estimated  that  the  distance 
traveled  would  amount  to  4,500  miles. 

Mr.  Macurdy  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trust  from  its  or- 
ganization, and  for  many  years  its  treasurer.  He  was  uniform  in 
his  attendance  upon  its  meetings,  and  his  judgment  had  great 
weight  with  his  brethren. 

In  1836,  Mr.  Macurdy  removed  to  Allegheny,  where  he  spent 
the  remaining  portion  of  his  natural  life.  He  died  on  the  22dof 
July,  1845,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age. 

The  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  endeavored  to  promote  its  own  interest 
in  this  work  by  means  of  an  annual  sermon  on  missions.  This  was 
commonly  delivered  on  Thursday  evening,  by  some  member  ap- 
pointed at  the  previous  meeting.  Thus,  in  1803,  Rev.  Samuel 
Porter  preached  from  Psalm  Ixxii.  17  :  "His  name  shall  endure  for 
L 


ib2  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


ever :  his  name  shall  continue  as  long  as  the  sun,  and  men  shall  be 
blessed  in  him;  "  and  the  next  year  the  Rev.  Samuel  Ralston  ful- 
filled this  service.  In  1805,  Rev.  Thomas  Marquis  preached  from 
Song  viii.  8  :  "  What  shall  we  do  for  our  sister  in  the  day  when  she 
shall  be  spoken  for?"  and  the  next  year  the  Rev.  James  Hughes 
preached  from  Isaiah  xlix.  16  :  "  Behold,  I  have  graven  thee  on 
the  palms  of  my  hands;  thy  walls  are  continually  before  me."  In 
1807,  Rev.  Wm.  Wylie  preached  from  Matthew  vi.  10:  "Thy 
Kingdom  come ;  "  and  the  next  year  Rev.  Thomas  Hughes  preached 
from  Psalm  cii.  13  :  "  Thou  shalt  arise,  and  have  mercy  upon  Zion  : 
for  the  time  to  favor  her,  yea,  the  set  time,  is  come."  In  1809, 
Rev.  Elisha  Macurdy  preached  from  Mark  xvi.  15  :  "  And  he  said 
unto  them,  go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature;  "  and  the  next  year,  the  Rev.  John  McPherrin  preached 
from  Matt.  xvi.  26  :  "  For  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain 
the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul."  This  commendable  usage 
of  an  annual  sermon  was  maintained  with  unfailing  uniformity  during 
the  whole  period  in  which  the  Synod  conducted  its  missionary  opera- 
tions through  the  Board  of  Trust.  In  connection  with  each  of  these 
sermons  collections  were  made,  the  amounts  of  which  varied  from 
$30  to  $70.  One  of  the  most  generous  collections,  amounting  to 
$73,  was  in  181 7,  after  a  sermon  by  Rev.  Robert  Johnston,  from 
Isaiah  xi.  9  :  "  The  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord, 
as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 

Another  means  adopted  for  promoting  a  deeper  interest  in  the 
missionary  work,  was  the  publication  of  a  monthly.  This  was  styled 
the  Western  Missionary  Magazine.  At  its  first  meeting.  Synod 
chose  twelve  members  as  editors,  three  of  whom  were  to  have  the 
special  superintendence  of  the  business.  The  first  committee  con- 
sisted of  the  following  ministers :  Messrs.  John  McMillan,  Thos. 
Moore,  John  Anderson,  Joseph  Badger,  John  McPherrin,  Wm. 
Wick,  James  Hughes,  Samuel  Porter,  William  Wylie,  David  Smith, 
Samuel  Ralston,  and  George  Scott.  Thus  it  would  seem  that  the 
Synod  was  not  ignorant  of  the  advantages  to  be  gained  from  a  long 
array  of  instructive  and  fascinating  contributors.  The  circulation  of 
the  Magazine  however,  was  necessarily  limited,  and  the  profits, 
which  were  to  go  to  the  treasury  of  the  Missionary  Society,  were 
small.     The  Synod  therefore,  was  in  some  doubt,  at  the  end  of  the 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  163 


second  year,  whether  it  were  expedient  to  continue  its  publica- 
tion. In  1807  the  editors  reported  that  the  profits  accruing  from 
the  sale  of  the  Magazine  amounted  to  $334  32. 

The  fathers  of  this  Synod  had  great  confidence  in  the  power  of 
prayer.  Through  a  succession  of  years  they  met  at  six  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  to  wrestle  with  God.  We  can  now  only  conjecture 
the  sacred  glow  which  would  be  enkindled  in  meetings  held  before 
dawn,  and  composed  of  men  whose  almost  resistless  energy  in  prayer 
became  a  matter  of  precious  tradition  in  the  regions  where  they 
labored.  It  is  not  assumed  indeed,  that  these  meetings  were  held 
in  the  interest  of  missions  alone.  And  yet  when  thus  assembled, 
they  surely  would  not  overlook  that  work  which  occupied  so  much 
of  their  thought  amid  the  deliberations  of  the  day. 

With  these  methods  of  management  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  con- 
tinued to  conduct  its  missionary  work  for  twenty-seven  years.  And 
because  the  results  had  been  so  very  satisfactory,  the  question  as  to 
what  should  be  the  future  relations  of  the  Board  of  Trust  to  the 
Board  of  Missions  of  the  General  Assembly,  became,  in  1828,  a 
matter  of  prayerful  and  anxious  consideration.  This  latter  Board, 
to  which  our  beloved  Church  owes  so  much,  had  its  origin  in  the 
Standing  Committee  on  Missions,  appointed  by  the  Assembly  in 
1802 ;  and  in  1816  this  committee,  on  its  own  recommendation,  was 
succeeded  by  a  Board,  which  was  styled  the  Board  of  Missions,  act- 
ing under  the  authority  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States.  For  a  number  of  years  however,  its 
efficiency  was  far  from  meeting  the  wishes  of  its  friends.  It  encoun- 
tered opposition  from  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  not 
only  in  the  open  field  of  evangelistic  effort,  but  even  on  the  floor  of 
the  General  Assembly.  Then  too,  much  of  the  money  which  would 
otherwise  have  found  its  way  into  the  Treasury  of  the  Board,  was  ab- 
sorbed by  numerous  synodical  and  presbyterial  organizations. 
These  smaller  missionary  societies  saw  no  good  reason  why  they 
should  not  expend  the  funds  they  had  collected,  upon  their  own 
territory.  This  policy,  however,  was  undesignedly  militating  against 
the  Assembly's  Board,  and  it  was  becoming  evident  that  the  work 
must  be  unified  and  regulated  from  one  common  centre.  The 
Assembly  therefore,  in  1828,  reorganized  the  Board  of  Missions  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  with  the  provi- 
sions under  which  it  has  since  operated. 


ib4  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

The  fathers  in  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  were  by  no  means  igno- 
rant of,  or  indifferent  to,  tlie  influences  which  were  compelHng  this 
speedy  unification.  They  were  ready  to  forego  all  cherished  schemes, 
for  the  sake  of  greater  general  efficiency.  They  therefore  adopted, 
in  1829,  the  report  of  a  committee  appointed  the  previous  year,  in 
which  they  say  :  "It  is,  and  ought  to  be,  a  matter  of  sincere  con- 
gratulation on  the  part  of  the  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
generally,  that  the  Board  of  Missions,  acting  under  its  sanction, 
lias  recently  adopted,  and  is  now  prosecuting  an  efficient  and  ex- 
tended plan  of  operation,  suited  in  its  extent  to  the  moral  necessi- 
ties and  resources  of  this  great  and  rising  country,  and  in  its  indi- 
vidual form  and  character,  to  the  feelings  of  the  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  The  committee  rejoice  that  on  this  plan  many 
congregations  within  our  bounds  have  been  already  organized  into 
auxiliary  societies,  and  that  in  different  and  distant  parts  of  our 
Church  the  same  plan  has  been  so  far  cordially  approved  and  acted 
upon,  as  to  justify  the  belief  that  at  no  distant  period  our  Church 
will  be  in  fact,  what  she  was  intended  to  be  in  the  conception  and 
design  of  the  venerable  framers  of  her  Constitution,  one  great  mis- 
sionary association,  meeting  in  her  efforts  and  liberality  the  spirit  of 
those  ages  of  increasing  zeal  and  widening  prosperity,  through  which 
she  was  destined  to  pass  on  her  way.  to  the  full  glory  of  the  latter  day. 
Your  committee  believe,  therefore,  that  every  possible  encourage- 
ment should  be  afforded  to  the  General  Assembly  in  its  design  of 
uniting  and  concentrating  all  the  missionary  resources  of  our  Church, 
and  that  its  call  upon  the  several  Synods  and  Presbyteries  of  which 
it  is  composed,  to  come  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  should  be  dis- 
tinctly and  promptly  answered  from  one  extremity  of  the  continent 
to  the  other." 

After  the  adoption  of  several  resolutions,  in  which  the  Synod 
opens  the  way  for  the  soliciting  agents  of  the  Assembly's  Board, 
encourages  the  formation  of  auxiliaries,  recommends  the  Board's 
monthly  publication,  and  highly  approves  of  the  scheme  to  raise 
$100,000  for  missionary  purposes,  they  resolved  that  the  operations 
of  the  Board  of  Trust  of  the  Western  Missionary  Society  be  suspended 
during  the  will  of  the  Synod,  with  the  view  of  putting  the  whole 
missionary  business  into  the  hands  of  the  Board  of  Missions  of  the 
General  Assembly  for  so  long  a  period  as  circumstances"shall,  in  the 
view  of  the  Synod,  justify  such  an  arrangement. 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  165 

The  Board  of  Trust  was  to  be  continued,  however,  until  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Western  Missionary  Society  should  be  fully  settled,  and 
even  afterwards,  if  the  conditions  of  its  charter  required  it,  and  it 
was  directed  and  empowered  to  proceed  in  the  adjustment  of  all  un- 
finished missionary  business. 

Thus  nobly  and  generously  did  this  grand  old  Synod,  in  1829, 
transfer  the  immediate  supervision  and  control  of  the  work  she  had 
begun  in  1802.  By  her  wisdom,  patience,  and  efficiency,  she  has 
obtained  an  imperishable  record  in  the  annals  of  our  church.  Rev. 
Ashbel  Green,  D.D.,  says,  in  his  "History  of  Domestic  and  Foreign 
Missions  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,"  that  while  the  Synods  of  the 
Carolinas,  Virginia,  and  Kentucky,  were  distinguished  for  their 
zeal,  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  was  the  longest  and  most  extensively 
and  efficiently  engaged  in  this  work. 

The  time  was  now  rapidly  approaching  however,  when  these 
fathers  of  Western  Pennsylvania  were  about  to  afford  a  more  sublime 
spectacle.  Heretofore  their  missionary  operations  had  been  neces- 
sarily confined  to  their  own  territory.  But  now  they  were  about  to 
enter  upon  a  grander  work,  and  assume  a  more  weighty  responsi- 
bility. Under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  they  were  about  to 
embark  single-handed  and  alone,  in  the  enterprise  of  sending  the 
gospel  to  other  continents,  and  in  doing  it  they  were  about  to  as- 
sert and  illustrate  the  great  principle  of  ecclesiastical  supervision  and 
control.  For  while  several  societies  in  Europe — such  as  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  and  the  Wesleyan 
Missionary  Society — had  conducted  their  missions  on  this  plan,  it 
had  been  as  yet  scarcely  attempted  by  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States.  Though  the  propriety  of  the  movement 
proposed  by  these  fathers  was  seriously  questioned  by  many,  they 
appear  to  have  assumed  that  time  would  vindicate  the  wisdom  of 
their  acts.  And,  as  every  one  knows,  the  results  have  long  since 
constrained  the  then  timid  and  doubting  to  concede  to  them  the 
position  of  advanced  thinkers  on  the  subject  of  missions. 

It  was  in  1831,  just  two  years  after  the  Board  of  Trust  had  been 
directed  to  transfer  its  work  to  ,the  Board  of  Missions,  that  the 
Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society  was  organized.  For  some 
years  previous  the  churches  of  the  Synod  had  been  encouraged  to 
raise  funds  for  the  foreign  missionary  work.      In  1827,  the  stated 


i66  PRESB  YTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

clerks  of  the  respective  Presbyteries  were  directed  to  distinguish  in 
tlieir  reports  the  moneys  received  for  foreign,  from  those  received 
for  domestic  missions,  and  in  1828,  they  resolved  that  contributions 
made  Avithin  their  bounds  for  foreign  missions,  under  the  direction 
of  Synod,  or  its  agents,  be  transferred  to  the  Board  of  Domestic 
Missions  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  that  this  Synod  be  con- 
sidered, so  far  as  the  collection  and  transmission  of  funds  for  this 
object  is  concerned,  a  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  auxiliary  to  that 
Board.  It  is  not  improbable,  however,  that  the  most  of  the  funds 
thus  forwarded  were  expended  upon  the  Indian  missions  of  our  land. 

The  moral  sublimity  of  the  enterprise  on  which  the  Synod  was 
now  to  enter  cannot  be  fully  seen  without  taking  into  the  account 
its  size  and  financial  ability.  Its  faith  and  forecast  never  appear  so 
admirable  as  when  we  consider  the  comparative  newness  of 
the  region,  the  fewness  of  its  churches,  and  the  smallness  of  its  re- 
sources. The  city  of  Pittsburgh  was  then  a  town  of  about  13,400 
inhabitants.  It  required  three  and  a  half  days  of  staging,  by  night 
and  day,  to  reach  Philadelphia.  It  contained  but  two  Presbyterian 
churches — for  the  Church  of  the  Northern  Liberties,  or  the  Fourth 
Church,  as  it  was  afterwards  called,  had  then  been  but  recently  or- 
ganized. The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Allegheny  Town  was 
only  about  one  year  and  six  months  old. 

The  Synod  consisted  of  eight  Presbyteries — Redstone,  Ohio,  Erie, 
Hartford,  Washington,  Steubenville,  Allegheny,  and  Blairsville. 
Covering  a  large  extent  of  territory,  it  embraced  the  towns  of 
Somerset,  Morgantown,  Fairview,  Erie,  Youngstown,  New  Lisbon, 
St.  Clairsville,  Wheeling,  Steubenville,  and  Washington.  Francis 
Herron  was  in  Pittsburgh,  Samuel  Ralston  was  at  Mingo,  Thomas  D. 
Baird  was  at  Lebanon,  Robert  Johnston  was  at  Rehoboth  and  Round 
Hill,  Johnston  Eaton  was  at  Fairview,  Wm.  O.  Stratton  was  at  Can- 
field,  Robert  Sample  was  at  New  Castle,  Samuel  Tait  was  at  Mercer, 
Clement  Vallandigham  was  at  New  Lisbon,  John  Anderson  was 
at  Upper  Buffalo,  David  Elliott  was  at  Washington,  John  Coulter 
was  at  Butler,  John  Munson  was  at  Plaingrove. 

George  Lyon  had  commenced  his  labors  at  Erie,  John  Stockton 
at  Cross  Creek,  William  Smith  at  Miller's  Run,  Charles  C.  Beatty  at 
Steubenville,  Ashbel  G.  Fairchild  at  George's  Creek,  and  Watson 
Hughes  at  Saltsburg;    Timothy  Alden  and  Matthew  Brown  were 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  167 

the  Presidents  of  the  respective  institutions  of  Meadville  and  Canons- 
burg  ;  while  Luther  Halsey  and  John  W.  Nevin,  then  a  licentiate, 
were  professors  in  our  Theological  Seminary. 

In  1831,  the  General  Assembly  had  only  20  synods,  while  in  1875 
it  reports  36.  There  were  only  five  of  these  to  the  West  of  us — 
Ohio  with  five  Presbyteries,  Western  Reserve  with  five  Presbyteries, 
Cincinnati  with  four  Presbyteries,  Indiana  with  five  Presbyteries, 
and  Illinois  with  four  Presbyteries. 

And  then  how  much  like  a  child  in  its  tender  infancy  was  our 
scheme  of  systematic  benevolence.  How  very  primitive  and  meagre 
are  the  statistical  reports  of  that  day.  There  are  only  four  col- 
umns for  benevolence — missions,  commissioners'  fund,  education, 
and  theological  seminaries ; — and  the  number  of  blanks  is  suggestive 
of  churches  as  yet  undisciplined  in  the  grace  of  giving. 

Yet  notwithstanding  all,  these  fathers  were  strong  in  the  confi- 
dence of  faith.  The  heathen  were  perishing.  It.  was  in  their  hearts 
to  send  chosen,  consecrated  men  as  their  representatives  to  Asia  and 
Africa,  just  so  soon  as  their  society  could  be  organized. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  in  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  in  October, 
1831,  an  overture  on  missions  was  reported  by  the  appropriate 
committee,  and  after  considerable  discussion  was  referred  to  the 
Rev.  Messrs.  Elisha  P.  Swift,  Luther  Halsey,  James  Hervey,  Samuel 
Tait,  and  Thomas  Hunt,  to  report  thereon  as  soon  as  practicable. 
On  the  following  Monday  afternoon  they  reported  a  preamble  full 
of  bold  and  inspiring  sentiment,  in  which  they  say  in  substance : 
That  the  signs  of  the  times  call  upon  all  who  love  the  Saviour  to 
send  the  Gospel  to  those  who  sit  in  pagan  darkness — that  they  have 
no  desire  to  depreciate  the  exertions  of  Christians  in  Europe  or 
America — that  they  acknowledge  with  pleasure  the  truly  splendid 
operations  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  and  that  they  recur  with  grateful  sentiments  to  the  humbler 
efforts  of  the  Western  Missionary  Society  of  their  own  Synod. 

Still,  they  say,  the  resources  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  are  slum- 
bering in  inaction ;  the  American  Board  is  too  remote  to  develop 
the  benevolence  of  our  churches ;  the  honest  predilections  of  our  peo- 
ple demand  an  organization  under  ecclesiastical  control,  and  no  other 
judicatory  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  it  is  believed  by  them,  can 
now  act  on  this  subject  with  so  much  propriety  and  unanimity  as  this. 


i68  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

Then,  disclaiming  all  party  feeling,  and  trusting  to  the  aid  and 
guidance  of  the  God  of  missions,  they  resolved,  "That  it  is  expedient 
forthwith  to  establish  a  Society  or  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  on 
such  a  plan  as  will  admit  of  the  co-operation  of  such  parts  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  as  may  think  proper  to  unite  with  it  in  this 
great  and  important  concern." 

They  then  adopted  the  Constitution  of  the  Western  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  United  States,  according  to  which  the  society 
was  to  be  composed  of  the  members  of  sessions  and  churches  of  the 
Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  and  other  synods  and  presbyteries,  which  might 
formally  unite  with  them.  The  centre  of  operation  was  to  be  in  the 
city  of  Pittsburgh,  and  no  change  of  location  was  to  be  effected 
without  the  consent  of  this  Synod,  and  in  the  event  of  such  a  change, 
the  synodical  supervision,  for  which  provision  had  been  made,  was  to 
be  transferred  to  the  General  Assembly,  or  to  that  particular  Synod 
in  whose  bounds  the  operations  of  the  society  should  be  concen- 
trated. 

The  Board  of  Directors  was  to  consist  of  six  ministers  and  six 
elders  chosen  by  the  Synod,  of  persons  residing  in  Pittsburgh  or  its 
vicinity,  to  which  were  to  be  added  one  minister  and  one  elder, 
chosen  from  and  by  each  of  the  eight  Presbyteries  in  the  Synod ; 
the  Board  thus  having,  as  originally  constituted,  twenty-eight  mem- 
bers. Its  officers  were  a  President,  Vice-president,  a  Recording 
Secretary,  a  Corresponding  Secretary,  and  a  Treasurer.  The  Exe- 
cutive Committee  was  to  consist  of  five  ministers  and  four  ruling 
elders,  besides  the  Corresponding  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  who  were 
to  be  members  ex-officio. 

The  Board  was  to  meet  annually  in  May,  and  a  discourse  was  to 
be  delivered  in  its  presence,  on  some  appropriate  subject. 

The  following  were  the  first  Directors  of  the  Society,  for  Pitts- 
burgh and  vicinity : 

For  three  years — Rev.  E.  P.  Swift,  Rev.  A.  D.  Campbell,  Mr. 
Harmer  Denny,  Mr.  Samuel  Thompson. 

For  two  years — Rev.  Francis  Herron,  D.D.,  Rev.  Luther  Halsey, 
Mr.  John  Hannen,  Mr.  James  Wilson. 

For  one  year — Rev.  Robert  Patterson,  Rev.  Thomas  D.  Baird, 
Mr.  Benjamin  Williams,  Mr.  Francis  G.  Bailey. 


m/ssionany  history.  169 

For  Presbyteries. 

Redstone — Rev.  A.  O.  Patterson,  Mr.  A.  Johnston. 

Ohio — Rev.  Matthew  Brown,  D.D.,  Mr.  J.  Herriott. 

Erie — Rev.  Samuel  Tait,  Mr.  J.  Reynolds. 

Washington — Rev.  David  Elliott,  Mr.  J.  McFarren. 

Hartford — Rev.  Wm.  McLean,  Mr.  J.  Clark. 

Steubenville— Rev.  C.  C.  Beatty,  Mr.  D.  Hoge. 

Allegheny — Rev.  J.  Coulter,  Mr.  B.  Gardiner. 

Blairsville— Rev.  S.  McFarren,  Mr.  T.  Pollock. 
For  a  number  of  years  the  organization  of  the  Board  was  as  fol- 
lows: Hon.  Harmer  Denny,  was  President;  Rev.  Thomas  D.  Baird, 
Vice-president;  Rev.  A.  D.  Campbell,  Rev.  C.  C.  Beatty,  and  Rev. 
George  Marshall,  filled,  in  succession,  the  office  of  Recording  Sec- 
retary; Rev.  Elisha  P.  Swift  was  Corresponding  Secretary;  Rev. 
Elisha  Macurdy,  Treasurer ;  Mr.  Samuel  Thompson,  Assistant  Trea- 
surer. 

This  whole  movement  of  the  Synod  appears  to  us  so  eminently 
legitimate  and  proper,  that  we  can  see  no  good  reason  why  any 
other  Synod  of  the  church,  or  the  General  Assembly  itself,  might 
not  have  originated  it.  And  yet  the  preamble  says :  'Tt  is  believed 
that  no  other  judicatory  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  can  act  on  this 
subject  with  so  much  propriety  and  unanimity."  But  neither  this 
clause  in  the  preamble,  nor  the  provisions  of  the  constitution,  nor  the 
arguments  contained  in  early  official  papers,  can  be  fully  appre- 
ciated unless  examined  in  connection  with  the  history  of  those 
limes. 

It  should  be  remembered  then,  that  for  several  years  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  still  dear  to  many  a 
heart,  had  been  the  medium  through  which  a  portion  of  our  churches 
had  conducted  their  foreign  missionary  work.  Growing  in  influence 
and  power,  it  had  been  attracting  toward,  and  merging  in  itself,  all 
smaller  organizations.  With  the  assumption  of  their  pecuniary  ob- 
ligations, it  could,  of  course,  claim  a  corresponding  generous  sup- 
port. In  1826  it  had  thus  received  into  union  with  itself  the  United 
Missionary  Society,  an  organization  in  the  support  of  which  the 
Presbyterian,  Dutch  Reformed,  and  Associate  Reformed  Churches 
were  united ;  the  General  Assembly  amid  the  dissatisfaction  of 
many,  going  no  further  than  to  consent  to  the  union. 


ijo  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

The  arguments  by  which  this  process  of  absorption  was  justified 
were  these :  The  friendly  relations  subsisting  between  Congrega- 
tionalists  and  Presbyterians  would  be  promoted  by  co-operation — 
the  same  Gospel  was  preached  by  the  representatives  of  each  society — 
funds  for  each  organization  were  obtained  from  the  same  individuals 
and  churches,  and  there  was  danger  of  collision ;  the  most  rigid  econo- 
my was  demanded  in  missionary  operations,  and  money  may  be  saved 
in  the  salaries  of  agents,  officers,  etc.  These  arguments  for  the  union 
of  societies  were  just  and  valid,  to  the  minds  of  those  who  used  them, 
against  new  organizations  under  ecclesiastical  control.  Men  who 
could  skilfully  use  this  logic  were  to  be  found  in  almost  every 
congregation.  Presbytery,  Synod,  and  Assembly  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  ready  to  baffle  the  advocates  of  ecclesiastical  super- 
vision with  expedients,  the  narration  of  which  would  make  the  lis- 
tener alternately  relax  his  muscles  and  knit  his  brow. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  such  controversies  that  the  fathers  of 
Western  Pennsylvania  organized  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary 
Society. 

They  ' '  believed  that  the  Presbyterian  Church  (we  are  quoting 
from  a  report  of  those  times)  owes  it  as  a  sacred  duty  to  her  glorified 
Head  to  yield  a  far  more  exemplary  obedience,  and  that  in  her  dis- 
tinctive character  as  a  Church,  to  the  command  which  He  gave  at 
his  ascension  into  heaven,  '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature.'  It  is  believed  to  be  among  the  causes 
of  the  frowns  of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  which  are  now  rest- 
ing upon  our  beloved  Zion,  in  the  declension  of  vital  piety  and  the 
disorders  and  divisions  that  distract  us,  that  we  have  done  so  little — 
comparatively  nothing — in  our  distinctive  character  as  a  Church  of 
Christ,  to  send  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  the  Jews,  and  the  Mo- 
hammedans." 

We  have  a  specimen  of  the  logic  which  was  current  in  all  their 
discussions,  found  in  a  paper  from  the  pen  of  the  Corresponding 
Secretary. 

"  On  what  appointment,"  says  the  writer,  "do  pastors  and  elders 
sit  in  the  house  of  God  and  hold  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven,  but  that  which  commissions  them  to  go  and  disciple  all 
nations  ? 

"  If,  at  the  bar  of  such  courts,  by  the  very  fact  of  their  lawful  exis- 


MISSIONARY  HISTOKY.  Ijt 


tence,  the  perishing  heathen  have  no  right  to  sue  out  the  payment 
of  a  Redeemer's  mercy,  then  the  most  material  object  of  their  sit- 
ting is  cancelled ;  and  that  neglected,  starving  portion  of  mankind, 
who  enter  with  a  specific  claim,  are  turned  out  to  find  relief  by  an 
appeal  to  the  sympathy  of  particular  disciples.  Will  '  the  Head  of 
all  principality  and  power '  stay  in  judicatories  where  the  laws  of 
his  kingdom  are  so  expounded  ?  Until  something  more  is  done  for  the 
conversion  of  the  nations,  what  article  on  the  docket  of  business  can 
be  relevant  at  any  meeting,  if  this  is  not  ?  Shall  a  worthless,  unsound 
delinquent  be  told  that,  according  to  the  Word  of  God,  and  the 
constitution  of  the  Church,  he  has  a  right  to  come  and  consume 
hours  of  time  in  trifling  litigation  ;  and  shall  a  world  of  benighted 
men,  who  have  received  as  yet  no  hearing,  and  no  mercy,  and  no 
information  that  Jesus  has  left  a  deposit  for  them  also,  be  turned  over 
to  the  slow  and  uncertain  compassion  of  individuals?" 

Almost  all  of  the  fathers  who  were  in  the  memorable  Synod  of 
1 83 1  lived  to  see  the  principle  of  ecclesiastical  supervision  fully  en- 
dorsed by  the  General  Assembly.  Thirty-eight  years  ago  it  adopted 
the  missionary  organization  which  had  its  origin  here.  It  has  con- 
ducted its  enterprises  of  Home  Missions,  Publication,  Education, 
Church  Erection,  and  Aid  to  Freedmen  in  a  similar  manner.  And 
in  later  years,  there  has  been  no  principle,  to  the  unqualified  support 
of  which  all  parties  have  been  so  ready  to  rally  in  the  re-united  Pres- 
byterian Church,  as  to  this — the  ecclesiastical  supervision  of  all 
benevolent  work. 

The  first  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Society  was  the  Rev. 
Elisha  P.  Swift.  He  was  born  in  Williamstown,  Mass.,  August  12, 
1792,  and  received  his  collegiate  education  In  the  venerable  and 
prosperous  institution  located  there.  Descended  from  John  Eliot, 
the  apostle  to  the  Indians,  in  his  familiar  conversations  with  his  chil- 
dren he  would  sometimes  refer  with  sentiments  of  great  admiration 
to  the  missionary  labors  of  his  illustrious  ancestor.  Shortly  before 
he  commenced  his  academic  studies  in  Williams  College,  a  deep 
concern  for  the  perishing  heathen  had  been  awakened  in  some  of  its 
most  pious  and  devoted  students.  There  it  was  that  Samuel  John 
Mills,  Jr. ,  James  Richards,  and  Gordon  Hall,  had  been  communing 
frequently  together.  Their  memorable  hay-stack  prayer-meeting 
had  been  held  in  1807,  and  the  interest  thus  commenced  resulted  iu 


ij2  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


the  organization  of  the  American  Board  in  1810.  It  is  not  known 
how  far  these  influences  may  liave  affected  the  character  and  pur- 
pose of  Ehsha  P.  Swift.  But  early  in  his  Christian  Ufe  he  resolved  to 
consecrate  himself  to  the  missionary  work.  He  was  accepted  by 
the  American  Board,  and  ordained  by  a  Congregational  council  in 
the  Park  Street  Church,  Boston,  on  the  3d  day  of  September,  181 7. 
In  a  few  months  however,  a  combination  of  circumstances  over 
which  he  had  no  control,  directed  his  feet  toward  another  field. 
After  having  supplied  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Dover,  Delaware, 
for  one  year,  he  was  called  to  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  on  being  installed  in  1819,  he  entered  with  interest 
into  all  the  missionary  enterprises  of  the  Synod.  In  1821  he  had 
visited  Maumee  with  Rev.  Michael  Law,  for  the  purpose  of  establish- 
ing, under  the  Board  of  Trust,  an  Indian  mission.  In  1831  he  had 
been  in  the  Synod  for  twelve  years,  and  was,  of  course,  well  acquaint- 
ed with  the  sentiments  of  its  members.  After  having  sought  the 
advice  of  esteemed  fathers  in  other  portions  of  the  Church,  and  hav- 
ing received  the  approval  and  encouragement  of  Drs.  Ashbel  Green, 
Archibald  Alexander,  and  Samuel  Miller,  he  took  a  very  active  part 
in  the  organization  of  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  He 
was  the  author  of  the  overture  -by  which  the  subject  was  brought  to 
the  attention  of  the  Synod,  as  also  of  the  preamble  and  constitution 
afterward  reported  by  the  special  committee,  and  adopted  by  the 
Synod.  His  fervid  and  touching  appeals  overcame  all  who  were 
still  scrupulously  cautious  and  hesitating.  All  varieties  of  feeling 
were  fused  by  him  into  one  harmonious  sentiment,  and  the  whole 
Synod  prepared  for  united  and  energetic  action. 

It  is  a  delicate  task*  which  has  been  assigned  to  us.  We  claim  to 
know  something  of  the  character  and  labors  of  Elisha  P.  Swift,  but 
we  forbear.  Filial  love  and  admiration  might  make  us  oblivious 
alike  of  brevity  and  propriety. 

It  may  not  be  improper  however,  to  quote  a  i&v^  statements  from 
the  writings  of  others. 

Rev.  Ashbel  Green,  D.D.,  in  his  "  History  of  Missions,"  says :  "  It 
is  due  to  Rev.  Elisha  P.  Swift  to  state  that  its  origin  is  to  be  traced 
principally  to  his  ardent  zeal  in  the  missionary  cause,  and  to  his 
views  of  the  importance  of  an  institution  organized  in  the  manner 
exhibited  in  the  foregoing  documents." 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  rjj 


Rev.  S.  J.  Wilson  D.D.,  in  his  address  at  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Swift, 
said:  "He  had  no  desire  to  have  his  name  trumpeted  through  the 
world,  yet  the  church  to  which  he  belonged  will  always  cherish  his 
name  as  the  founder  of  her  Board  of  Foreign  Missions." 

Rev.  James  Allison,  D.D.,  made  this  statement  in  a  notice  of  Dr. 
Swift's  death  published  in  the  Presbyterian  Banner :  "While  the 
Presbyterian  Church  lasts — as  long  as  a  history  of  Foreign  Missions 
remains,  the  name  of  Elisha  P.  Swift  will  be  remembered.  He  was 
at  all  times  ready  to  iidvocate  with  wonderful  power  every  good 
cause  ;  but  the  very  mention  of  Foreign  Missions  fired  his  soul  with 
quenchless  ardor,  and  made  his  voice  the  sound  of  a  trumpet  calling 
to  conflict  and  victory." 

Rev.  Wm.  D.  Howard,  D.D.,  in  a  history  of  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  delivered  at  a  convention  held  in  Pittsburgh  in  1872,  s.ays  : 
"And  many,  I  am  persuaded,  will  retain,  so  long  as  memory  con- 
tinues to  perform  its  office,  a  recollection  of  his  fervid  eloquence 
as,  rising  with  his  theme,  his  great  eye  all  aglow  with  the  fire  of 
genius,  his  heart  heaving  with  emotion,  and  his  majestic  form  raised 
to  its  full  height,  in  trumpet  tones  he  declaimed  against  sin,  or 

In  strains  as  sweet 
As  angels  use, 

he  pleaded  with  sinners  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  This  great  and 
good  man  may  be  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the  Presbyterian  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions." 

Then  Dr.  Howard  adds:  "  He  had  able  and  earnest  coadjutors. 
In  his  own  Synod,  there  was  Dr.  John  McMillan,  whose  iron  sinews 
laid  the  foundations  of  our  Presbyterian  Zion  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  and  Francis  Herron,  that  great-hearted  Christian  gentleman, 
and  Matthew  Brown,  the  gifted  and  skillful  Christian  educator,  and 
Charles  C.  Beatty,  a  descendant  of  the  first  American  minister  who 
ever  preached  the  gospel  where  this  great  city  now  stands,  and 
David  Elliott,  who,  at  the  age  of  more  than  fourscore,  still  lingers 
among  us,  yet  helping  the  cause  of  Christ  by  his  wise  counsels  and 
earnest  prayers.  And  besides,  there  was  the  earnest  and  generous 
Campbell,  the  saintly  Macurdy,  the  clear-sighted  McFarren,  and 
many  others.  And  these  ministers  were  aided  in  the  work  by  a 
noble  band  of  intelligent  and  devoted  elders,  among  whom  were  the 


XJ4  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

Hon.  Harmar  Denny,  and  Samuel  Thompson,  and  John  Hannen, 
and  Francis  G.  Bailey,  and  Richard  Edwards,  and  many  besides. 
Beyond  the  bounds  of  his  own  Synod,  Dr.  Swift  was  favored  with 
the  counsels  and  encouragement  of  such  men  as  Dr.  Ashbel  Green 
of  Philadelphia,  and  Drs.  Archibald  Alexander  and  Samuel  Miller 
of  Princeton,  and  John  Breckenridge  of  Baltimore,  and  Joshua 
Wilson  of  Cincinnati,  and  William  W.  Phillips  of  New  York,  whose 
church  was,  at  the  beginning,  one  of  the  most  liberal  contributors  to 
this  cause,  as  it  has  continued  to  be  from  that  time  till  this." 

Rev.  Charles  C.  Beatty,  D.D.,  has  recently  made  this  statement: 
"I  consider  Rev.  Elisha  P.  Swift,  D.D.,  to  have  been  really  the 
father  and  founder  of  our  Presbyterian  Foreign  Mission  work ;  and 
I  think  he  should  be  prominently  presented  as  bringing  forward  and 
greatly  furthering  this  work  in  its  inception,  as  distinctively  under 
church  organization. 

"  My  first  introduction  to  Mr.  Swift  was  in  connection  with 
the  work  of  missions.  When  he  came  on  to  the  General  Assembly, 
in  the  spring  of  1822,  he  was  charged  by  the  Synodical  Board  of 
Trust  with  obtaining  a  Superintendent  for  their  newly  established 
Indian  mission  on  the  Maumee.  He  applied  to  the  Professors  at 
Princeton,  who  referred  him  to  me.  I  had  been  appointed  the  pre- 
vious fall,  in  connection  with  a  class-mate,  by  the  United  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,  to  establish  a  mission  among  the  Indians  on  the 
Columbia  river.  This  enterprise  failed  for  want  of  support  from 
Congress,  and  the  Professors  knew  that  I  was  disengaged,  and  might 
desire  to  be  employed  in  other  mission  service.  I  had  several  con- 
ferences with  Mr.  Swift  on  the  subject,  and  though  I  felt  constrained 
to  decline  the  appointment,  it  tended  to  establish  a  friendship  be- 
tween us  which  strengthened  by  future  associations,  continued 
through  life.  In  passing  through  Pittsburgh  the  next  October,  on 
my  way  to  my  mission  field  in  the  West,  he  was  the  first  to  call  and 
invite  me  to  preach  for  him  the  ensuing  Sabbath  morning,  and  I 
preached  in  the  First  Church  in  the  afternoon.  The  brethren  in 
Pittsburgh  were  instrumental  in  obtaining  my  settlement  in  Steuben- 
ville  the  next  summer,  and  my  associations  with  them  were  always 
most  intimate.  I  found  Bro.  Swift  always  foremost  and  most  en- 
thusiastic in  the  Foreign  Mission  work. 

' '  When  it  was  proposed  in  the  Synod  to  transfer  our  Missions  to 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  175 


the  United  Missionary  Society,  then  about  to  be  merged  in  the  A. 
B.  F.  M.,  we  were  both  of  us  reluctant,  and  spoke  against  it,  though 
finally  acquiescing.  The  Synod  very  generally  and  cordially  co- 
operated with  the  American  Board  in  its  work,  but  he  was  never 
fully  reconciled  to  the  church  giving  up  missions  to  a  voluntary  as- 
sociation. He  was  already  ahead  of  most  in  his  conviction  that  the 
church  should  herself  do  this  work  through  her  organized  forms. 
This  induced  him  finally  to  bring  his  plans  before  Synod,  where  it 
met  at  first  with  but  a  cold  reception.  Most  felt  entire  confidence 
in  the  working  of  the  A.  B.  F.  M.,  and  some  argued  that  it  would 
be  dishonorable  towards  that  Board  to  set  up  an  independent  So- 
ciety. But  Mr.  Swift  was  not  discouraged,  and  his  strong  state- 
ments as  to  the  church's  duty,  his  forcible  arguments  for  imme- 
diate action,  his  burning  missionary  zeal,  and  fervid  eloquence,  finally 
carried  the  Synod,  and  his  plan  was  adopted.  This  was  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  and  here 
was  laid  the  foundation  of  our  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  His 
ardor  in  the  cause,  his  earnest  effort,  his  untiring  energy  and  popular 
address,  did  much  to  recommend  it  to  the  people  and  make  it  a 
success." 

For  nearly  two  years,  Elisha  P.  Swift  discharged  the  duties  of 
Corresponding  Secretary  gratuitously,  devoting  to  them  a  portion 
of  time  amid  his  numerous  pastoral  engagements.  Contrary  to  the 
anticipations  even  of  its  friends  however,  the  Society  was  early 
beginning  to  win  the  sympathy  and  co-operation  of  Presbyteries 
and  Synods  both  East  and  West.  The  business  of  the  secretary  was 
becoming  so  extensive  and  onerous,  as  to  demand  the  labors  of 
one  who  could  devote  all  his  time  and  energy  to  it.  The  Board 
therefore,  instead  of  accepting  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Swift,  took 
steps  to  have  the  pastoral  relation  between  him  and  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburgh  dissolved.  He  finally  yielded  to 
the  urgent  solicitations  of  his  brethren,  and  sundered  ties  which 
bound  him  to  a  people  among  whom  he  had  labored  in  unbroken 
harmony  for  nearly  fourteen  years.  He  preached  his  farewell  ser- 
mon on  Sabbath,  March  3d,  1833,  and  from  that  date  until  he  re- 
signed his  office,  his  life  was  crowded  with  varied  and  pressing  em- 
ployment. He  was  engaged  in  soliciting  funds  as  general  agent,  in 
presenting  the  claims  of  the  Society  to  Synods  and  Presbyteries,  in 


ijb  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

preparing  "instructions,"  commonly  delivered  to  departing  mis- 
sionaries before  large  and  interested  audiences,  in  providing  for 
missionaries  their  outfits  and  securing  their  passages,  in  editing  the 
Foreign  Missionary  Chronicle,  in  conducting  correspondence  with 
missionaries  in  the  field,  with  young  men  in  the  theological  semi- 
naries, and  with  the  friends  and  patrons  of  the  Society  generally. 
In  his  journal  he  refers  at  this  period  to  the  distracted  condition  of 
the  church,  the  influence  of  older  and  more  powerful  missionary 
organizations,  his  conscious  unfitness  for  some  duties  of  his  office, 
his  necessary  absence  from  his  family,  the  injury  being  done  to  his 
habits  of  study,  and  the  interruption  to  secret  devotions  incidental 
to  traveling,  as  abating  at  times  the  enjoyment  which  he  had  in  his 
work.  He  resigned  his  office  in  September,  1835,  to  take  charge 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Allegheny,  but  continued  to 
serve  the  Board  until  his  successor  accepted  the  position. 

Hon.  Walter  Lowrie  was  the  second  Corresponding  Secretary  of 
the  Board.  He  was  born  near  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  on  the  loth  day 
of  December,  1 784,  and  was  only  eight  years  old  when  he  came  to 
America.  His  family  soon  removed  to  Butler  County,  Pa.,  where, 
in  his  eighteenth  year,  he  experienced  God's  converting  grace  in 
one  of  those  revivals  of  religion  which  have  made  memorable  the 
early  history  of  Western  Pennsylvania.  It  was  then'  his  desire  to 
enter  the  ministry,  and  he  even  commenced  his  preparatory  studies 
under  Rev.  John  McPherrin,  the  pioneer  Presbyterian  of  that 
region.  Though  providential  events  intercepted  his  purpose  to 
preach  the  gospel,  there  were  other  services  awaiting  him,  in  the 
future,  most  congenial  to  his  feelings,  while  not  less  promotive  of 
the  Master's  glory.  After  occupying  for  six  years  a  position  in  the 
United  States  Senate  as  a  representative  of  Pennsylvania,  he  was 
elected  Secretary  of  the  same  body,  in  which  position  he  continued 
for  twelve  years.  It  was  while  thus  engaged  that  he  was  called  by 
the  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society  to  become  its  Correspond- 
ing Secretary.  Nor  is  it  surprising  that  the  mind  of  the  Board  should 
have  been  turned  toward  him.  His  holy  enthusiasm  in  the  mission- 
ary enterprise  found  expression  in  one  of  the  first  large  offerings 
the  society  received.  It  was  the  donation  of  1 1,000,  conveyed  in  a 
manner  as  unostentatious  as  the  gift  was  munificent.  It  came  as 
an  offering  from  an  unknown  friend,  to  be  appropriated   to   the 


MISSIONARY ///STORY.  177 

salary  of  Elisha  P.  Swift  during  his  first  year  of  service  as  secretary 
after  he  had  given  up  his  pastoral  charge.  The  position  to  which 
Mr.  Lowrie  was  called  in  1835,  he  continued  to  occitpy  for  thirty-two 
years.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  in  1868  he 
declined,  on  account  of  increasing  bodily  infirmities,  to  be  put  again 
in  nomination  for  the  office.  The  Board,  while  reluctantly  accept- 
ing his  declinature,  testified  in  appropriate  resolutions  to  his  dis- 
tinguished ability,  untiring  zeal,  and  most  conscientious  faithfulness. 
In  parting  with  their  venerable  and  honored  Secretary,  they  say, 
they  follow  him  with  their  warmest  wishes  and  prayers,  that  God's 
grace  would  succor  and  cheer  him,  and  at  last  minister  to  him  an 
abundant  entrance  into  his  heavenly  kingdom.  He  entered  into 
rest  on  the  14th  day  of  December,  1868,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year 
of  his  age. 

Rev.  William  M.  Paxton,  D.D.,  says  in  his  address  at  the  funeral, 
referring  to  his  acceptance  of  the  office  pressed  upon  him :  "  The 
work  was  new  and  compassed  on  every  side  with  difficulties.  The 
Church  was  to  be  aroused,  the  spirit  of  missions  enkindled,  and  the 
system  of  co-operation  was  to  be  organized." 

His  wisdom  and  executive  capacity  in  the  office  were  only  excelled 
by  his  'power  to  enlist  attention  and  awaken  interest  in  behalf  of  his 
cause.  With  no  pretention  to  oratory,  he  went  before  the  people  in 
the  most  humble  way,  presenting  in  a  conversational  style  his  simple 
statement ;  but  warming  with  the  deep  interest  of  his  theme,  he 
grew  eloquent,  and  seldom  closed  without  riveting  his  subject  upon 
the  conscience,  or  moving  his  audience  to  tears. 

He  had  Avise  and  able  counsellors  in  the  Board  and  in  the  Execu- 
tive Committee,  and  often  the  assistance  of  the  most  eloquent  voices 
in  the  Church  to  commend  his  cause ;  but  during  the  whole  thirty 
years  of  his  incumbency,  Walter  Lowrie  was  himself  the  efficient 
head  of  the  missionary  work  and  the  controlling  power  in  its  ad- 
ministration. 

The  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  at  the  time  of  its  trans- 
fer to  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  General  Assembly,  had 
occupied  four  distinct  fields  of  labor,  and  was  about  to  take  posses- 
sion of  a  fifth.  Brief  biographical  notices  of  the  heroic  servants  of 
God,  who  labored  for  longer  or  shorter  periods  in  these  respective 

missions,  will  be  given  at   the  end  of  this  history.     Their  faith 
M 


Ij8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

and  courage  can  scarcely  be  appreciated  in  these  modern  times. 
Facilities  in  travel  have  brought  India,  China  and  Japan,  Syria  and 
South  America,  nearer  than  they  were  forty  years  ago.  Besides,  the 
physical  constitution  demanded  by  each  missionary  field  is  now  bet- 
ter understood.  Our  Boards  consider  other  qualifications,  in  addi- 
tion to  ardent  temperament,  earnest  piety,  and  missionary  zeal.  Its 
executive  officers  feel  under  solemn  obligation  to  discourage  the 
overtures  of  those  whose  powers  of  endurance  would  not  be  equal  to 
the  work.  Then  too,  medical  science  has  advanced,  and  judicious 
advisors  are  much  more  accessible  than  formerly.  And  moreover, 
many  mission-fields  now  have  their  sanitariums,  their  healthful  and 
bracing  atmospheres,  like  Woodstock,  in  India,  to  which  the  weary 
and  exhausted  may  repair.  The  number  who  now  early  fall  upon 
the  field,  or  return  in  an  enfeebled  condition,  is  much  smaller  than 
in  the  beginning.  In  view  of  these  things,  the  life  of  a  missionary 
will  not  now  appear  to  be  the  perilous,  uncertain,  self-renouncing 
service  it  was  when  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society  was 
organized. 

One  of  these  missions  was  Northern  India.  On  the  30th  of  May, 
1833,  the  Board  sent  out  Rev.  Messrs.  William  Reed  (22),  (see 
biographies),  and  John  C.  Lowrie  (13),  and  their  wives.  Mrs. 
Louisa  Lowrie  (14)  died  in  Calcutta.  Failing  health  compelled  Mr. 
Reed  to  return  without  delay  to  America.  He  died  during  the 
voyage,  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  and  Mrs  Reed  remained  in  America. 
Rev.  John  C.  Lowrie  proceeded  to  Lodiana,  and  after  several  years 
of  labor,  left  India  as  the  only  hope  of  saving  his  life. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  1834,  Rev.  Messrs.  James  Wilson  (24), 
and  John  Newton  (17),  and  their  wives,  with  Miss  Julia  A.  Davis 
(6),  were  sent  out  to  reinforce  the  Lodiana  mission. 

On  the  i6th  of  November,  1834,  Rev.  J.  R.  Campbell  (4),  of 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Rev.  James  McEwen  (15), 
with  Messrs.  Jesse  M.  Jamieson  (9)  (10),  William  S.  Rogers  (23), 
Joseph  Porter  (20)  (21),  and  their  wives,  also  sailed  for  this  field. 

The  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society  had  five  stations  in  India : 
Lodiana,  Allahabad,  Futtehgurh,  Saharunpur,  and  Sabathu. 

A  second  mission  was  Western  Africa.  In  1832  the  Society  ap- 
pointed Rev.  Messrs.  Joseph  Barr  (i),  and  John  B.  Pinney  (19), 
to  this  field.     The  former  died  of  cholera  in  Richmond,  five  days 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  17Q 

before  the  time  fixed  for  embarking.  The  latter  sailed  for  Mon- 
rovia, and  did  effective  service  imtil  constrained  by  shattered  health 
to  relinquish  the  field. 

In  November,  1833,  ^^^-  Matthew  Laird  and  wife  (12),  and  Rev. 
John  Cloud  (5),  sailed  for  Africa.  Soon  after  their  labors  had  com- 
menced, the  three  were,  within  a  few  days,  called  to  their  heavenly 
rest.  Mr.  James  Temple,  a  colored  licentiate  who  had  been  sent  out 
with  them,  soon  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  resided  for  a 
number  of  years  in  Philadelphia.  In  1834,  Mr.  J.  T.  C.  Findley 
went  out  to  Africa,  but  was  compelled  to  return  in  1835,  and  the 
same  year  the  society  sent  out  Mr.  E.  Tytler,  a  colored  licentiate. 
He  did  not  live,  however,  to  render  much  service. 

A  third  mission  of  the  society  was  to  the  North  American  Indians. 
In  November,  1833,  it  sent  out  Rev.  Messrs.  Wells  Bushnell  (2),  and 
Joseph  Kerr  (n),  and  their  wives,  with  Miss  Nancy  Henderson  (7), 
and  Miss  Julia  Boal  to  the  Wea  Indians— a  tribe  on  territory  now 
in  the  State  of  Kansas.  Miss  Boal  was  injured  by  being  thrown 
from  a  carriage,  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  on  her  way  to  the  field. 
She  was  left  at  Columbus,  in  that  State,  where,  after  having  suffi- 
ciently recovered,  she  taught  school  for  a  time.  She  never  rejoined 
the  mission.  Mr.  Henry  Bradly  was  also  sent  out  as  a  farmer,  and 
still  later  Mr.  E.  Sheppard. 

In  1835,  Mr.  Aurey  Ballard  and  wife,  with  Mr.  F.  H.  Lindsay 
and  wife,  and  in  March,  1837,  Mr.  Samuel  M.  Irwin  (8),  and 
wife,  were  appointed  missionaries  to  the  lowas.  Mr.  Ballard  left 
the  mission  in  1842,  and  died  in  Richardson  county  in  the  State 
of  Nebraska,  a  few  years  ago.  He  labored  in  the  mission  in  the 
capacity  of  a  farmer.  His  wife  who  is  also  dead,  was  a  most  ex- 
cellent teacher. 

A  fourth  mission  was  Smyrna.  Rev.  Josiah  Brewer  (3),  and  Mr. 
Thomas  Brown,  a  printer,  and  his  wife,  sailed  for  this  field  in  March, 
1836.  The  unexpected  return  of  Mr.  Brown,  and  a  previous  under- 
standing had  with  Mr.  Brewer,  led  the  Board  to  reconsider  its  pur- 
pose to  send  out  Rev.  Wm.  McCombs  and  Mr.  John  McClintock, 
and  to  relinquish  the  field. 

A  fifth  mission  was  China.  Rev.  Robert  W.  Orr  (18),  and  wife, 
with  Rev.  A.  Mitchell  (16),  sailed  on  the  nth  of  December,  1837. 
The  latter  was  soon  called  to  his  eternal  rest,  and  the  former  with 


i8o  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

health  greatly  impaired,  returned  to  the  United  States.  It  was  after 
the  appointment  of  this  band,  and  while  they  were  preparing  to  em- 
bark, that  the  supervision  of  the  society  with  all  its  missions,  was 
accepted  by  the  General  Assembly. 

The  transfer  in  the  location  of  the  society  from  Pittsburgh  to 
New  York,  was  made  in  1837.  During  the  first  six  years  of  its  ex- 
istence, it  had  extended  its  limits  far  beyond  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh. 
Minister  and  laymen  in  prominent  positions,  and  with  controlling 
influences,  had  given  it  their  warmest  support.  Distant  presbyteries 
had  accepted  its  conditions  and  sent  their  representatives  to  appear 
in  its  Board.  A  growing  conviction  prevailed  in  the  minds  of  many 
of  its  warmest  friends  in  Pittsburgh  and  elsewhere  that  its  efficiency 
would  be  greatly  promoted  by  its  removal  to  one  of  the  principal 
Eastern  cities.  It  had  been  supposed  that  some  such  change  would 
result  from  a  movement  made  in  the  General  Assemblies  of  1835  and 
1836,  to  have  that  body  accept  the  transfer  of  the  society.  But  after 
a  protracted  and  earnest  debate,  the  Assembly  of  1836  declined,  by 
a  majority  of  one,  to  receive  it.  Thus  numerous  and  decided  were 
the  supporters  of  the  American  Board  in  that  Assembly;  and  without 
waiting  for  the  uncertain  issues  of  those  tempestuous  times,  the  Board 
of  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  at  its  annual  meeting, 
held  on  the  23d  day  of  May,  1837,  in  the  Sixth  Presbyterian  Church, 
Philadelphia,  decided  to  transfer  the  centre  of  operation  from  Pitts- 
burgh to  New  York.  And  while  there  was  not  entire  unanimity  in 
this  surrender  of  location,  all  present  ultimately  acquiesced.  A  num- 
ber of  brethren  residing  in  Pittsburgh  resigned,  by  letter,  their  places 
on  the  Board,  that  they  might  be  filled  by  persons  in  and  about  New 
York.  Rev.  Messrs.  W.  W.  Phillips,  D.D.,  Joseph  McElroy,  D.D., 
John  M.  Krebs,  Nicholas  Murray,  E.  W.  Crane,  George  Potts,  and 
Elders  Moses  Allen,  James  Lenox,  and  James  Paton,  were  chosen  to 
fill  the  vacancies,  and  the  name  and  style  of  the  society  was  made 
the  "  Presbyterian  Foreign  Missionary  Society." 

The  effort,  which  had  failed  in  previous  Assemblies,  was  more  suc- 
cessful in  1837.  That  body  resolved,  by  a  vote  of  108  to  29,  "That 
the  General  Assembly  will  superintend  and  conduct,  by  its  own  pro- 
per authority,  the  work  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  by  a  Board  appointed  for  that  purpose,  and  directly  amena- 
ble to  said  Assembly." 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  i8i 

It  made  provision  for  a  Board  of  eighty  members,  with  necessary 
offices,  and  an  Executive  Committee.  Among  those  chosen  by  this 
same  Assembly,  as  members  of  the  Board,  we  find  these  names : 
Ministers,  W.  W.  PhilUps,  D.D.,  Joseph  McElroy,  D.D.,  John  M. 
Klrebs,  Ehas  W.  Crane,  George  Potts,  Nicholas  Murray,  Ashbel 
Green,  D.D.,  Francis  Herron,  D.D.,  Matthew  Brown,  D.D.,  Elisha 
P.  Swift,  Thomas  D.  Baird,  David  Elliott,  D.D.  Laymen,  James 
Lenox,  James  Baton,  Moses  Allen,  Harmer  Denny,  John  Hannen, 
Samuel  Thompson.  Indeed,  the  Board  of  the  "  Presbyterian  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,"  located  two  weeks  before  at  New  York,  was, 
by  this  election,  incorporated  with  the  Assembly's  Board. 

The  Assembly  gave  this  Board  power  to  receive  a  transfer  of  fo- 
reign missionary  societies  now  existing  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
with  all  missions  and  funds  under  their  care. 

It  was  not  more  specific  with  regard  to  the  society  just  located  at 
New  York,  because  it  was  supposed  that  the  ''Central  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,"  within  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  and  the  Southern 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  within  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina, 
would  also  be  transferred. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  1837,  the  Board  elected  by  the  Assem- 
bly at  Philadelphia  six  months  before,  convened  in  the  First  Church, 
Baltimore,  when  the  Presbyterian  Foreign  Missionary  Society  was 
received,  by  transfer,  from  the  Synods  of  Pittsburgh  and  Philadel- 
phia. It  then  had  forty-five  missionaries ;  though  eight  of  these  were 
then  on  their  way  to  their  fields  of  labor,  three  were  expecting  daily 
to  embark ;  seven  were  detained  for  the  present  for  want  of  funds, 
and  two  were  in  this  country  for  other  causes.  Eleven  of  these  were 
ordained  ministers,  five  were  teachers,  one  was  a  printer  and  book 
binder,  and  twenty  were  women. 

It  had  under  its  care  three  presses,  one  high  school,  and  two 
boarding  schools. 

The  receipts  for  the  year  ending  October  15  were  $40,266,  and 
the  balance  in  hand,  $5,784,  which,  they  say,  would  be  wanted  for 
the  China  Mission. 

The  Missionary  Chronicle,  included  of  course  in  the  transfer,  was 
made  the  organ  of  the  Board,  and  measures  were  taken  to  enlarge  it 
and  extend  its  circulation. 

From  this  review  several  statements  may  be  deduced. 


i82  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

1.  The  Presbyterian  form  of  government  is  adapted  to  the  vigor- 
ous prosecution  of  missions. 

2.  Western  Pennsylvania  is  greatly  indebted  to  missionary  efforts, 
inasmuch  as  it  was  through  them  that  her  earliest  and  most  influen- 
tial churches  have  been  organized. 

3.  The  early  religious  history  of  Western  Pennsylvania  commits 
all  Presbyterian  Churches  to  the  constant,  generous,  and  unwaver- 
ing support  to  the  Boards  of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions. 

We  cannot  ignore  the  labors  of  the  fathers,  nor  be  indifferent  to 
the  organizations  for  which  they  freely  gave  their  money,  toils,  and 
prayers. 

4.  The  ground  on  which  this  First  Church  of  Pittsburgh  stands  is 
rich  in  precious  associations.  Events  as  important  in  their  religious 
influence  as  any  that  have  occurred  on  this  Western  continent  have 
been  witnessed  here.  They  are  felt  to-day  to  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
nor  will  their  influence  cease  while  time  shall  last.  These  associa- 
tions should  be  treasured  and  used  to  stimulate  our  effort. 

5.  Success  in  missionary  effort  depends  on  faith  in  God  and  earn- 
est prayer.  The  resolution  of  the  fathers  was,  "  For  Zion's  sake  will 
I  not  hold  my  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  will  I  not  rest,  until 
the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as  brightness,  and  the  salvation 
thereof  as  a  lamp  that  burneth." 


MISSIONAR  Y  HISTOR  Y.  183 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  MISSIONARIES, 

APPOINTED  BY  THE 

WESTERN  FOREIGxN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY, 

From  its  Organization,  until  the  Transfer,  1831-1837. 
Arranged  alphabetically. 


(i)  Rev.  Joseph  Welsh  Barr. 

Mr.  Barr  was  born  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  on  the  2  2d  day  of 
July,  1802,  and  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Thomas  Barr.  His  father  had 
removed  from  Western  Pennsylvania  in  the  spring  of  1800.  Joseph 
was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  house  carpenter  business,  when  he  was 
sixteen  years  old.  He  graduated  at  Western  Reserve  College,  and 
studied  theology  at  Andover  and  Princeton.  He  was  ordained  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  12th  day  of  October,  1832. 
He  died  of  Asiatic  cholera,  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  Va.,  on  the 
26th  day  of  October,  of  the  same  year,  and  but  five  days  before  the 
time  fixed  for  sailing  from  Norfolk  for  the  western  coast  of  Africa. 
His  early  history  was  so  rich  in  material,  his  religious  experience  so 
instructive,  and  the  circumstances  of  his  death  so  impressive,  that  a 
memoir  was  compiled  by  Rev.  Elisha  P.  Swift,  D.D.,  in.  1833, 
which  has  been  more  recently  revised  and  republished  by  the  Pres- 
byterian Board  of  Publication. 

(2)  Rev.  Wells  Bushnell. 

Mr.  Bushnell  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  April  1799.  ^^ 
experienced  renewing  grace  in  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  when  about 
seventeen  years  old,  and  connected  himself  with  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Francis  Herron,  D.D. 
He  graduated  at  Jefferson  College,  and  completed  his  theological 
training  at  Princeton.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick,  and  on  the  25th  day  of  April,  1826,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Elenor  Hannen,  a  daughter  of  John  Hannen, 
for  some  years  an  elder  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Allegheny. 
Mr.  Bushnell  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Erie,  and  installed 


l84  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

pastor  of  the  church  of  Meadville  on  the  2 2d  day  of  June,  1826. 
This  relation  was  continued  until  the  26th  day  of  June,  1833,  when 
it  was  dissolved,  at  his  own  request,  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  having  accepted  him  as  a  missionary  to  the  Indians.  In 
company  with  the  Rev.  Joseph  Kerr  and  wife,  he  and  his  wife  left 
Pittsburgh,  on  the  6th  day  of  November,  1833.  Their  labors  were 
principally  among  the  Wea  Indians,  and  were  attended  with  sick- 
ness and  exhaustion  to  Mr.  Bushnell  and  his  family.  After  a  year 
and  a  half  therefore,  he  was  compelled  to  leave  the  Indian  country. 
He  supplied  for  a  time  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Louisville, 
Ky.,  and  after  that,  the  churches  of  Greensburg  and  Shelbyville, 
Indiana.  From  February,  1836,  to  April,  1838,  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Indianapolis.  On  the  1 8th  day  of  April,  1839, 
he  was  dismissed  from  the  Presbytery  of  Erie  to  that  of  Beaver, 
with  a  view  to  his  installation  as  pastor  of  the  church  of  New  Castle, 
Pa.,  in  which  relation  he  continued  for  fifteen  years  and  a  half. 
He  then  connected  himself  with  the  Free  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  ministered  to  the  churches  of  Mount  Jackson  in  Lawrence 
county,  and  New  Bedford  in  Mercer  county,  until  his  death.  This 
occurred  at  Mount  Jackson,  on  the  16th  day  of  July,  1863,  in  the 
sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Bushnell  was  of  medium  height,  slender  but  erect,  quick  and 
nervous  in  his  movements.  He  was  strong  in  his  convictions  and 
fearless  in  his  utterances.  Even  amid  the  agitations  which  ulti- 
mately led  him  to  sever  rather  abruptly  his  connection  with  the 
Presbytery  of  Beaver,  his  brethren  never  lost  confidence  in  his  piety 
and  devotion.  He  was  a  faithful  pastor,  evangelical  in  his  preach- 
ing, and  the  zealous  advocate  of  every  humane  and  benevolent  work. 
At  this  date  Mrs.  Elenor  Bushnell  is  residing  in  Youngstown,  Ohio. 

(3)  Rev.  Josiah  Brewer. 
Mr.  Brewer  sailed  for  Smyrna  on  the  28th  day  of  March,  1836, 
He  was  not  without  considerable  experience  in  the  mission  work  of 
that  region.  He  had  been  operating  for  nearly  ten  years  among 
the  Jews,  having  been  sent  out  in  September,  1826,  by  a  Ladies' 
Society  in  Boston.  His  appointment  by  the  Pittsburgh  Society,  and 
his  continued  support  in  that  field,  was  based  on  certain  conditions 
suggested  by  Mr.  Brewer  himself.     During  the  winter  of  1836-37, 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  185 

Rev.  Wm.  McCombs  and  Mr.  John  McClintock,  and  their  wives, 
were  appointed  to  this  field  of  labor,  and  expected  soon  to.  sail.  But 
on  the  eve  of  the  departure  of  this  proposed  reinforcement,  Mr. 
Brown,  a  printer  and  bookbinder,  who  had  gone  out  with  Mr. 
Brewer,  returned  to  the  United  States  without  any  consultation 
whatever  with  the  Society.  The  unnecessary  return  of  Mr.  Brown 
led  the  Society  to  reconsider  the  whole  subject  of  the  mission  in 
Smyrna.  And  inasmuch  as  the  conditions  in  regard  to  Mr.  Brewer's 
support  had  not  been  fulfilled,  the  Society  released  him  from  fur- 
ther connection  with  them,  expressing  their  warm  desire  for  his 
future  usefulness. 

(4)  Rev.  James  Robinson  Campbell,  D.D. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  born  near  Omagh,  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in 
the  year  1800.  He  arrived  in  Philadelphia  in  1824,  and  while 
serving  as  a  clerk  he  devoted  his  spare  time  to  study,  under  the  care 
of  that  distinguished  classical  scholar,  the  late  Joseph  P.  Engles, 
Esq.,  many  of  whose  pupils  have  obtained  great  eminence. 

His  theological  studies  were  pursued  under  Dr.  Samuel  Brown 
Wylie,  in  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Seminary  at  Philadelphia.  He 
was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  of  the  Reformed 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  October,  1834.  He  embarked  for  India 
on  the  1 6th  day  of  November,  1835,  in  company  with  Rev.  James 
McEwen,  Messrs.  Jamieson,  Rogers,  and  Porter.  His  station  was 
Saharunpur,  Northwest  Province,  India.  He  visited  the  United 
States  in  1847-48,  and  his  pulpit  addresses  on  the  subject  of  mis- 
sions are  still  remembered  by  many. 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him  by  I^a- 
fayette  College,  Easton,  Pa.,  in  1856.  He  died  at  Landour,  Hima- 
laya Mountains,  India,  on  the  i8th  of  September,  1862,  in  the 
sixty-second  year  of  his  age,  having  been  a  missionary  in  India  over 
twenty-six  years.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Campbell,  survived 
him  only  a  few  years,  and  died  in  India. 

All  of  Dr.  Campbell's  sons  who  came  to  manhood  have  entered 
the  ministry. 

The  eldest  son.  Rev.  Thomas  Cochran  Campbell,  died  in  Marion, 
O.,  June  8th,  1862,  after  two  years  of  successful  work  for  Christ. 
The  second  son,  Rev.  James  Robinson  Campbell,  is  the  pastor  of 


t86  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

the  Presbyterian  Church  of  May's  Landing,  Atlantic  county,  New 
Jersey.  The  third  son,  Rev.  George  Stuart  Campbell,  is  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Williamstown,  New  Jersey,  also  supplying 
the  Church  of  Franklinville,  in  the  same  State. 

One  of  Dr.  Campbell's  daughters  became  the  wife  of  Col.  Morgan, 
of  the  British  Army,  and  the  other  two  are  at  present  engaged  in 
the  missionary  work  in  India. 

Rev.  T.  W.  J.  Wylie,  D.D.,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  some 
of  these  facts,  also  makes  this  statement : 

"  The  instructions  and  example  of  parents,  eminent  for  godliness, 
laid  the'  foundation  for  the  character  which  he  afterwards  developed. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  he  obtained  employment  in 
the  service  of  J.  H.  Warder,  one  of  the  principal  merchants  in  the 
city.  Mr.  Warder  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and 
his  views  in  regard  -to  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  were  not  as 
strict  as  those  of  the  young  Irish  Presbyterian.  Mr.  Campbell 
having  refused  to  attend  to  some  work  on  the  Sabbath,  which  he 
considered  unsuitable  for  that  day,  his  employer  threatened  to  dis- 
miss him,  but  he  was  inflexible,  and  declared  that  he  would  prefer 
losing  his  place  to  doing  anything  which  his  conscience  condemned. 
His  firmness  gained  the  respect  and  confidence  of  Mr.  Warder,  and 
he  not  only  retained  him  in  his  employment  but  made  him  his  con- 
fidential clerk.  Having  become  a  member  of  the  First  Reformed 
Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia,  he  at  once  took  a  class  in  Sab- 
bath-school, a  work  in  which  he  greatly  delighted,  and  in  which  he 
was  remarkably  successful.  His  attention  having  beer>  drawn  to  the 
condition  of  the  heathen  world,  he  endeavored  to  excite  an  interest 
in  that  object  in  the  church  with  which  he  was  connected,  among 
other  things  introducing  into  the  Sabbath-school  the  system  of  col- 
lection for  Foreign  Missions  by  purses  in  all  the  classes. 

"  Having  devoted  himself  to  the  life  of  a  foreign  missionary,  and  a 
society  having  been  formed  in  Mercer  county.  Pa.,  by  members  of 
the  Presbyterian,  the  Associate,  the  Associate  Reformed,  and  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Churches,  to  support  a  Foreign  Missionary 
in  connection  with  any  one  of  these  donominations,  he  was  accepted 
by  them  and  sent  out  to  India,  under  the  direction  of  the  Western 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  Pittsburgh.  He  arrived  at  Saharunpur, 
liis  station  in  India,  on  November  loth,  1836.     Here  he  labored 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  187 

assiduously  for  twenty-seven  years,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  period 
in  1847  ^^^  1848,  during  which  he  made  a  visit  to  his  native  land 
and  to  America.  While  in  this  country,  he  delivered  in  several 
places  a  course  of  lectures  on  Foreign  Missions  in  India,  which  were 
afterwards  published  in  a  duodecimo  volume  by  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church.  He  also 
contributed  largely  to  the  religious  press,  being  a  letter  writer  of 
superior  excellence.  He  was  indefatigable  in  his  labors,  and 
besides  his  services  at  his  own  station,  he  made  frequent  itinerations, 
and  also  acted  as  treasurer  for  the  entire  mission.  He  devoted 
much  of  his  attention  to  the  education  of  the  native  youth,  in  which 
he  was  eminently  successful,  a  large  number  of  those  under  his  care 
having  renounced  heathenism,  and  received  the  Christian  religion, 
several  of  whom  have  become  ordained  ministers  or  licentiates,  or 
Scripture  readers.  One  of  the  handsomest  churches  in  upper  India 
was  erected  at  Saharunpur  by  his  agency.  His  reluctance  to  inter- 
mit his  labors  hastened,  if  it  did  not  cause,  his  death,  which  was  a 
fitting  close  to  his  long  and  useful  life.  Tranquil  and  triumphant 
he  passed  from  earth  to  heaven,  from  sacrifice  and  toil  to  rest  and 
his  reward.  He  was  a  man  of  warm  heart,  and  a  judgment  re- 
markably sagacious,  energetic,  animated,  genial,  modest,  with  a 
profound  devotion  to  the  Saviour,  which  controlled  all  his  actions. 
In  person  he  was  of  medium  height,  well  rounded  face,  a  clear  com- 
plexion, and  a  robust  frame." 

(5)  Rev.  John  Cloud. 

Mr.  Cloud  was  born  on  the  9th  of  December,  1801,  in  Cross 
Creek  Township,  Washington  county,  Penna.  His  father,  Mr. 
John  Cloud,  was  an  elder  in  the  Church  of  Raccoon,  Washington 
county,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Moses  Allen,  and  afterward  in 
the  Church  of  Hopewell,  Beaver  county,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev. 
James  D.  Ray.  He  next  served  as  an  elder  in  two  churches  under 
the  charge  of  Rev.  William  Reed,  Long's  Run  in  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  and  Salem  in  Beaver  county,  Pa. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  graduated  at  Jefferson  College  in  1830, 
and  the  same  year  entered  the  Allegheny  Seminary  and  prosecuted 
the  full  course  of  study.     He  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of 


i88  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION, 


New  York  in  the  Brick  Church  (Dr.  Spring's)  on  the  nth  day  of 
October,  1833,  with  a  view  to  the  foreign  missionary  work. 

Without  being  married,  he  sailed  with  Matthew  Laird  and  wife 
for  Africa,  on  the  6th  of  November,  1833.  Not  many  weeks  after 
reaching  Monrovia  he  was  prostrated  by  the  African  fever.  Before 
being  fully  restored,  he  so  exposed  himself  as  to  bring  on  malignant 
dysentery,  from  which  he  died,  April  9,  1834. 

Rev.  David  X.  Junkin,  D.D.,  has  given  his  recollection  of  Mr. 
Cloud  as  follows :  ''He  was  rather  below  medium  height,  slightly 
built,  stooped  forward  a  little,  of  fair  complexion,  light  brown  hair, 
blue  eyes,  very  pleasant  features,  a  man  of  warm  affections,  and  very 
genial  and  kind  in  his  manners." 

There  are  two  brothers  and  one  sister  of  Rev.  John  Cloud  still 
surviving.     They  reside  in  Hookstown,  Beaver  county.  Pa. 

(6)  Miss  Julia  A.  Davis. 

Miss  Davis  sailed  for  India,  in  company  with  Rev.  John  Newton 
and  Rev.  James  Wilson  and  their  wives,  November  4,  1834. 

Soon  after  her  arrival  in  Calcutta  overtures  of  marriage  were 
made  to  her  by  Rev.  John  Goadby,  a  missionary  at  Cattack,  under 
the  patronage  of  the  General  Baptist  Missionary  Society  of  Eng- 
land. In  view  of  the  statements  made  to  her  that  the  way  did  not 
then  appear  to  be  opened  for  unmarried  females  to  labor  effectively 
in  India,  Miss  Davis  was  disposed,  after  a  time,  to  accept  the  pro- 
posal; and  they  were  accordingly  married  on  April  i,  1835.  She 
withdrew  her  connection  from  the  Pittsburgh  Society,  with  the  hope 
of  being  enabled  with  greater  usefulness  to  prosecute  the  work  for 
which  she  left  her  native  land. 

(7)  Miss  Nancy  Henderson. 
Miss  Henderson  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  the  forks  of  the  Cheat 
River,  in  1795.  In  1832-33  she  was  engaged  in  conducting  a  school 
on  the  Lancasterian  system,  in  the  city  of  Pittsburgh.  It  was  located 
on  Liberty,  below  Ferry  Street.  She  relinquished  it  to  go  out  as  a 
missionary  to  the  Western  Indians.  She  left  Pittsburgh,  November 
6,  1833,  with  Messrs.  Kerr  and  Bushnell  and  their  wives,  and  after 
laboring  for  over  three  years,  she  returned  to  Pennsylvania.  The 
immediate  occasion  of  her  return  was  the  extreme  illness  of  her 
mother,  who  afterward  died.      In  1839  ^^^  ^^  joined  in  marriage 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  j8g 

with  Mr.  Richard  Forrest,  and  resided  in  Allegheny.  She  died  in 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  while  making  a  visit  to  her  daughter,  on 
the  ist  day  of  April,  1871,  in  the  76th  year  of  her  age.  Her 
mortal  remains  were  brought  to  Pittsburgh,  and  interred  in  the 
Allegheny  Cemetery.  At  the  time  of  her  death  she  was  in  com- 
munion with  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church  of  Allegheny.  She 
was  tall  and  slender,  gentle  in  manner,  and  subdued  in  her  tones. 
She  was  a  woman  of  deep  religious  experience,  and  ready  for  every 
good  work. 

(8)  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Irwin. 

Mr.  Irwin  was  born  in  Mercer  county  (now  Lawrence),  near  New 
Castle,  in  18 12,  and  was  sent  out  by  the  Society  in  the  capacity  of 
a  teacher  to  the  Indians.  He  left  Pittsburgh  on  the  1 4th  of  March, 
1 83 7, -and  it  took  six  weeks  of  travel  by  water  and  land  to  reach  his 
destination.  He  was  then  one  hundred  miles  beyond  the  line  of 
civilization.  The  lowas.  Sacs,  and  Foxes  of  Missouri,  were  the 
tribes  among  which  he  labored.  He  continued  among  them  for 
about  twenty-six  years,  when  the  Indians  were  removed  and  the 
country  occupied  by  the  whites.  Since  then  his  time  has  been  given 
to  Highland  University,  which  institution  is  an  outgrowth  of  the 
missionary  work.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Lafayette, 
Synod  of  Missouri,  on  the  5th  day  of  April,  1845,  and  was  ordained 
soon  after  by  the  same  body.  He  is  on  the  same  ground  to  which 
he  was.  sent  more  than  thirty-five  years  ago. 

The  Iowa  Indians,  to  whom  his  labors  were  chiefly  directed,  are 
greatly  reduced  in  numbers,  but  the  condition  of  those  that  remain 
is  greatly  improved.  At  first  they  followed  the  chase  and  were 
often  engaged  in  war ;  now  they  are  quite  well  civilized,  and  many 
are  Christians.  The  missionary  work  has  been  of  unspeakable  ad- 
vantage to  them. 

(9)  Rev.  Jesse  M.  Jamieson,  D.D. 
Mr.  Jamieson  was  born  on  the  27th  day  of  June,  1809,  near  New- 
ville,  in  Cumberland  county,  Pa.  His  parents  were  members  of 
the  Associate  Reformed  Church,  and  his  paternal  grandfather  was, 
for  some  time,  pastor  of  the  Big  Spring  Church.  His  mother  died 
when  he  was  four  years  old.  His  grandfather  had  previously  moved 
to  Indiana  county,  Pa.,  and  his  father  afterwards  followed  him  to 


/po  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

the  same  place.  There  Mr.  Jamieson  spent  his  boyhood.  He  en- 
tered Jefferson  College  in  1830,  and  graduated  in  1834.  Reunited 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  1832,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev. 
Matthew  Brown,  D.D.  He  then  taught  an  academy  in  Maryland, 
and  studied  theology  there  with  the  Principal,  Dr.  Alexander  Camp- 
bell. In  the  autumn  of  1835,  at  the  request  of  Rev.  Dr.  Brown 
and  the  secretary  of  the  Pittsburgh  Society,  he  went  to  India  to 
take  charge  of  the  High  School  at  Lodiana.  On  the  21st  December, 
1836,  the  Presbytery  of  Lodiana  was  organized,  at  which  time  Mr. 
Jamieson,  with  Messrs.  W.  S.  Rogers  and  Joseph  Porter,  were  taken 
under  its  care,  as  candidates  for  the  ministry.  Mr.  Jamieson  was 
ordained  by  the  same  Presbytery  in  October,  1837.  He  spent 
twenty-two  years  in  India,  and  was  stationed  at  Saharunpur,  Saba- 
thu,  and  Ambala,  successively.  He  gave  a  good  deal  of  time  to  the 
study  of  the  Sanscrit,  Persian,  and  Thibetan  languages,  besides  the 
spoken  dialects.  He  returned  to  America  in  the  summer  of  1857, 
having  left  two  wives  and  three  children  in  India  graves.  The  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Jefferson 
College,  Pa.,  in  1858.  For  two  years  after  his  return,  he  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  the  languages  and  mathematics  in  the  Marengo 
Collegiate  Institute,  Illinois,  and  in  Carroll  College,  Wisconsin. 
Since  then  he  has  supplied  weak  churches  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Monmouth,  Illinois,  where  he  has  resided  for  thirteen  years. 

(10)  Mrs.  Rebecca  Jamieson. 

Mrs.  Jamieson,  the  first  wife  of  Rev.  Jesse  M.  Jamieson,  was  born  at 
Middleford,  Delaware,  on  the  26th  of  January,  181 8.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Captain  Thomas  Townsend.  She  was  admitted  to  full 
communion  in  the  church  when  fourteen  years  of  age.  The  band 
with  which  she  was  associated  embarked  for  India  on  the  i6th  of 
November,  1835.  She  died  of  cholera  on  the  4th  day  of  Septem- 
ber, 1845. 

Mrs.  Jamieson  acquired  an  extensive  knowledge  of  the  Hindi, 
and  could  both  speak  and  write  it  with  great  readiness.  This  pre- 
pared her  for  enlarged  usefulness  through  the  press.  One  of  her 
little  works  was  widely  circulated.  Her  death  was  very  peaceful, 
and  full  of  consolation  to  her  friends. 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  rgr 

(ii)  Rev.  Joseph  Kerr. 
Mr.  Kerr  was  born  at  Johnsonsburg,  Sussex  county,  New  Jersey, 
on  the  4th  day  of  February,  1805.     His  father,  Aaron  Kerr,  re- 
moved to  Washington  county,  Pa.,  when  he  was  four  years  old. 
He  graduated  at  Jefferson  College  in  the  autumn  of  1830,  and  at 
once  entered  the  Allegheny  Theological  Seminary,  and  continued 
there  till  the  summer  of  1833.     He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Ohio,  on  the  26th  day  of  June,  1833  ;  married  to  Miss  Mary  Ann 
Caldwell,  and  ordained  sine  titulo  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio  (now 
Pittsburgh),  during  the  sessions  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  in  Octo- 
ber of  the  same  year.     On  the  6th  day  of  November,  1833,  he  left 
Pittsburgh  in  company  with  Rev.  Wells  Bushnell  and  wife,  on  the  mis- 
sion to  which  they  had  been  appointed.     Their  field  of  labor  was  in 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Kansas,  and  among  a  segment  of  the  Miami 
tribe.     There  were  four  little  bands,  the  Weas,  Peorias,  Keanker- 
shaws,  and  Kaskaskias.     These  names  were  given  in  view  of  the 
proximity  of  their  former  settlements  to  some  stream  or  town.     The 
station  was  selected  by  Rev.  Wm.  D.  Smith,  and  called  the  Wea 
Mission.      They  entered  the  house  there  when  it  had  no  door  nor 
window,  no  floor  nor  chimney,  but  were  thankful  and  happy  in 
their  work.     They  put  up  a  unhewed  log  meeting-house,  and  in  it 
witnessed  some  of  the  wildest  and  most  disolderly  assemblies,  and 
afterwards  meetings  of  the  deepest  solemnity.     The  Indians  would 
engage  in  every  imaginable  employment  during  service,  swapping 
knives  and  blankets ;  but  in  this  same  house,  and  with  these  same 
Indians,  they  afterwards  saw  the  most  fixed  and  solemn  attention  to 
the  interests  of  the  soul. 

Mr.  Kerr  continued  at  the  Wea  Mission  for  three  years  and  a 
half,  sustaining  a  general  connection  with  the  early  missionary  work 
among  the  Iowa  Indians.  During  these  years  he  had  associated 
with  him  Mr.  Henry  Bradley,  a  farmer,  Mr.  Francis  Lindsay,  and 
Mr.  E.  Shepherd,  as  teachers,  all  of  whom  rendered  valuable  aid. 

After  having  been  three  years  in  the  service,  Mrs.  Kerr  lost  her 
health,  and  was  apparently  brought  very  near  to  the  grave.  After 
some  months  of  prostration,  she  returned  to  her  friends  in  Pitts- 
burgh, Mr.  Kerr  remaining  on  the  field  six  months  longer.  He 
'  left  the  mission  in  the  spring  of  1837,  and  in  the  autumn  of  the 
same  year  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  Church  of  Two  Ridges,  in  the 


zg2  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

Presbytery  of  Steubenville,  and  continued  there  for  six  years.  In 
1843  he  became  pastor  of  the  Church  of  Poland,  Ohio,  in  the  Pres- 
bytery of  New  Lisbon,  and  remained  for  eleven  years.  His  health 
being  shattered,  and  being  subject  to  a  paralytic  affection  of  the 
vocal  organs,  he  was  compelled  to  resign  his  charge  and  leave  a  much 
loved  people,  with  whom  he  had  seen  many  happy  days. 

In  the  spring  of  1854  he  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  has  been 
employed  for  several  years  in  the  diffusion  of  religious  literature  under 
the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication.  He  also  preaches  in  vacant 
churches  and  frontier  neighborhoods  as  opportunity  offers.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Iowa,  and  resides  at  Fairfield, 
Jefferson  county,  Iowa. 

(12)  Rev.  Matthew  Laird. 

Mr.  Laird  was  born  in  Union  county,  Pa.,  about  the  year  1805. 
He  was  educated  at  the  celebrated  Milton  Academy,  under  Dr. 
Kirkpatrick,  completing  his  classical  studies  at  Jefferson  College  in 
1830.  After  a  short  season  spent  in  teaching  he  repaired  to  Prince- 
ton Seminary,  where  he  finished  his  theological  course  in  1833. 
He  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Northumberland,  in  October 
of  the  same  year.  He  was  married,  and  sailed  from  Norfolk,  Va., 
for  the  western  coast  of  Africa,  in  company  with  Rev.  John  Cloud, 
November  6th,  1833.  Soon  after  reaching  Monrovia,  the  three 
were  prostrated  by  malignant  dysentery.  John  Cloud  was  first 
taken.  Mrs.  Laird  died  on  May  3d,  1834,  and  her  husband  on  the 
following  day. 

Rev.  David  X.  Junkin,  D.D.,  has  supplied  the  following  interest- 
ing statement  as  to  the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Laird  was  introduced 
to  the  ministry.  "He  was  apprenticed  to  a  pious  Baptist  named 
William  Thomas,  to  learn  the  business  of  a  carpenter.  Mr.  Thomas 
was  employed  in  1826-27  in  building  a  barn  for  the  late  Dr.  George 
Junkin,  who  then  resided  near  Milton  Pa.,  and  was  pastor  of  a 
church  in  that  place.  Mr.  Junkin  was  laid  low  by  a  typhus  fever, 
and  during  his  illness,  Mrs.  Junkin  sometimes  asked  Mr.  Thomas  to 
conduct  family  worship.  On  one  occasion  Mr,  Thomas  called 
upon  his  apprentice.  Laird,  to  lead  in  prayer.  This  he  did  with  such 
fervor  and  earnestness  as  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  sick  pastor, 
and  when  the  family  devotions  were  concluded,  Mr.  Junkin  said  to 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  igj 

his  wife,  'If  the  Lord  spare  me  to  recover,  that  young  man  shall 
enter  the  ministry,  God  willing.'  Mr.  Thomas  generously  relin- 
quished to  the  pious  apprentice  the  balance  of  his  term  of  service. 
Mr.  Junkin  received  young  Laird  into  his  family,  and  sent  him  in 
due  time  to  the  Academy  and  College. 

"  Mr.  Laird  was  a  man  of  medium  height,  erect,  with  rather 
broad  face  and  full  round  features,  fair  complexion,  light  hair, 
solemn  manner,  devout  piety,  somewhat  slow  in  his  mental  opera- 
tions, but  solid  and  careful  in  his  attainments  and  opinions,  and  an 
indefatigable  Christian  worker.  I  have  often  seen  Barr  and  him 
at  the  carpenter's  work-bench  at  Princeton,  by  which  they  both 
kept  up  health  by  wholesome  exercise,  and  helped  to  bear  their 
Seminary  expenses." 

(13)  Rev.  John  C.  Lowrie,  D.D. 

Dr.  Lowrie  was  born  in  Butler,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  i6th  day  of 
December,  1808.  His  father  was  Hon.  Walter  Lowrie,  for  thirty- 
two  years  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions. He  graduated  at  Jefferson  College  in  1829,  after  which 
he  spent  three  years  in  the  Allegheny  Theological  Seminary,  and  a 
part  of  1832-33  at  the  Princeton  Seminary.  He  was  licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Ohio,  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Pittsburgh, 
on  the  2ist  of  June,  1832,  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Castle,  in  the  First  Church  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  23d  of  May,  1833. 

He  was  appointed  as  a  missionary  to  India,  June,  1832,  and  from 
that  time  until  October  he  was  engaged  in  visiting  churches,  and 
presenting  the  cause  of  missions.  He  sailed  for  India  on  the  30th 
of  May,  1833,  and  reached  Lodiana  in  November,  1834.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1836,  he  returned  home,  with  the  hope  of  regaining  his  health. 
His  labors,  for  two  years,  consisted  in  endeavoring  to  awaken  a 
deeper  interest  in  the  perishing  multitudes  of  India.  Until  the  latter 
part  of  1838  he  expected  to  return  to  his  distant  field,  but  the  Execu- 
tive Committee,  having  taken  medical  advice,  refused  their  sanction. 
From  1838  till  1850  he  served  the  cause  as  Assistant  Corresponding 
Secretary  of  the  Foreign  Board,  also  ministering  statedly  to  a  church 
in  New  York  city,  from  1845  till  1850.  In  1850  he  was  appointed 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Board,  and  in  this  service  he  is  now 
engaged.     The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon 


tq4  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

him  by  Miami  University,  Ohio,  in  1852.  He  was  the  Moderator 
of  the  General  Assembly  in  Pittsburgh,  in  1865.  He  is  the  author 
of  "A  Manual  of  the  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America" — a  volume  of  great  accuracy  and 
convenience,  which  has  already  passed  through  several  editions.  We 
hope  that  the  time  is  far  distant,  when  any  will  be  called  to  tell,  as 
we  may  not  now,  of  the  lovely  character  and  valued  services  of  Dr. 
John  C.  Lowrie. 

(14)  Mrs.  Louisa  A.  Lowrie. 
Louisa  A.  Lowrie,  wife  of  the  Rev.  John  C.  Lowrie,  D.D.,  was 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Wilson,  of  Morgantown,  Virginia, 
and  sister  of  the  late  Hon.  Edgar  C.  Wilson,  of  the  same  place.  She 
belonged  to  the  first  band  of  missionaries  sent  by  the  Pittsburgh 
Society  to  India,  and  sailed  from  Philadelphia  May  30,  1833. 
She  died  in  Calcutta,  November  21,  of  the  same  year,  in  the 
twenty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  The  annual  report  of  1834  says  of 
her:  "Her  desires  to  devote  herself  to  the  spiritual  good  of  the 
heathen  were  fervent,  and  her  qualifications  for  the  work  were,  to 
human  view,  uncommon ;  but  He  for  whose  glory  she  left  her  native 
land  and  bore  her  feeble  exhausted  frame  half  round  the  globe,  was 
pleased,  doubtless  for  wise  reasons,  to  disappoint  her  earthly  hopes, 
and  require  her  associates,  a  few  short  weeks  after  their  arrival, 
to  consign  her  to  the  dust,  there  to  proclaim,  as  she  sleeps  in 
Jesus  on  India's  distant  shores,  the  compassion  of  American  chris- 
tians for  its  millions  of  degraded  idolators,  and  to  invite  others  from 
her  native  land  to  come  and  prosecute  the  noble  undertaking  in 
which  she  fell."  Her  pastor  at  Morgantown,  Rev.  Ashbel  G.  Fair- 
child,  D.D.,  prepared  a  memoir,  soon  after  her  death;  and  few  who 
have  seen  in  it  the  excellent  likeness  of  that  lovely  face  will  ever 
forget  it.  Her  memory  is  still  affectionately  cherished  in  Wes- 
tern Pennsylvania.  A  few  years  ago  the  Women's  Missionary  So- 
cieties withtn  the  Presbyteries  of  Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny  named 
the  house  they  were  building  at  Mynpurie,  India,  "The  Louisa 
Lowrie  Home."  It  is  intended  as  a  dwelling  for  the  unmarried  wo- 
men laboring  as  missionaries  at  that  station.  It  was  completed  in 
1872,  and  is  alike  honoring  to  the  woman  whose  name  it  bears,  and 
creditable  to  the  missionary  zeal  of  those  by  whom  it  has  been  com- 
pleted. 


MISSIONAR  Y  HISTOR  Y.  igs 

(15)  Rev.  James  McEwen. 

Mr.  McEwen  was  born  in  Crieff,  Perthshire,  Scotland,  in  the  year 
1 80 1.  He  received  his  academical  education  in  Philadelphia. 
While  pursuing  these  studies,  at  the  suggestion  of  his  teacher  he 
wrote  brief  statements  of  his  views  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel. 
They  appeared  in  successive  numbers  in  the  Presbyterian,  under  the 
title  of  "  Plain  Divinity."  They  were  much  admired,  and  attributed 
very  generally  to  a  more  experienced  pen.  He  studied  theology  at 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  and  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  24th  of  April,  1834.  He 
embarked  on  the  i6th  of  November,  of  the  same  year,  for  India,  and 
on  reaching  his  field,  was  led  by  providential  events  to  locate  at  Al- 
lahabad. His  labors  were  blessed,  and  a  church  of  thirteen  persons 
Avas  organized  in  January,  1837.  His  health  failing,  his  physician 
advised  his  return  to  America,  to  which  he  came  in  1838.  In  1839 
he  paid  a  visit  to  his  native  country,  and  while  his  health  was  im- 
proving, his  soul  was  refreshed  by  witnessing  the  glorious  work  of 
God  in  Kilsyth.  After  his  return  from  Scotland  he  became  pastor 
of  the  Church  in  Delhi,  New  York.  Here  he  continued  to  labor 
till  within  a  few  weeks  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  nth  of 
March,  1845,  ^"^  ^^^  forty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

During  the  seven  weeks  of  his  last  illness,  he  commenced  a  most 
serious  course  of  self-examination.  This  resulted  in  a  calm  confi- 
dence that  his  hopes  were  founded  on  the  Rock  of  Ages.  His  peace 
and  joy  were,  as  he  expressed  it,  as  great  as  he  desired.  He  was  a 
sound  divine,  a  faithful  preacher,  and  a  diligent  student. 

(16)  Rev.  John  A.  Mitchell. 

Rev.  John  A.  Mitchell,  who  sailed  for  China  with  Rev.  R.  W. 
Orr  and  wife,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee.  He  was  threatened  with 
pulmonary  disease  before  he  left  this  country,  and  died  in  Singapore 
on  the  2d  day  of  October,  1838,  in  the  thirty-third  year  of  his  age. 
He  had  at  times,  during  his  last  illness,  most  joyful  anticipations  of 
the  heavenly  rest,  and  ardent  longings  "to  depart  and  be  with 
Christ."  He  was  well  qualified  for  the  missionary  work,  and  had  a 
strong  desire  to  preach  the  Gospel  among  the  heathen. 

(17)  Rev.  John  Newton,  D.D. 

Mr.  Newton  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  about  the  year 


796  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

1809.  Soon  after  his  birth,  his  parents,  who  were  most  excellent 
people,  removed  to  Bucks  county  Pa.,  and  settled  near  Doylestown. 
His  father  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  church  of  that  place.  Mr.  Newton 
was  made  the  subject  of  divine  grace  in  the  summer  of  1822,  during 
a  revival  of  religion  which  occurred  under  the  preaching  of  Rev. 
Charles  C.  Beatty,  D.D.,  then  a  student  in  the  Seminary.  Mr. 
Newton's  father  dying  not  long  after,  and  leaving  a  large  family  in 
straitened  circumstances,  he  was  taken,  in  1826,  into  the  family  of 
Dr.  Beatty,  in  Steubenville,  which  was  his  home  until  he  left  for 
India.  He  was  prepared  for  college  in  Steubenville,  was  graduated 
at  Canonsburg,  after  which  he  taught  for  a  year  or  two  in  the 
academy  at  the  former  place.  He  received  his  theological  educa- 
tion in  the  Allegheny  Seminary,  which  he  entered  in  1831.  He 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Steubenville,  which  also  desired 
to  ordain  him  for  his  work ;  but  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  York,  which  had  undertaken  his 
support  in  India,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Presbytery  of  New  York, 
and  by  it  ordained  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  on  the  2 2d 
day  of  October,  1834.  He  and  his  wife,  with  Mr.  James  Wilson 
and  wife,  sailed  from  Boston,  for  India,  on  the  4th  day  of  Novem- 
ber, 1834.  During  his  forty  years  of  service  in  India  his  labors 
have  chiefly  been  in  two  fields,  Lodiana  and  Lahore.  The  latter 
is  his  station  at  present. 

He  has  visited  America  on  two  occasions.  One  was  in  1853-54, 
when  he  was  accompanied  by  all  of  his  family.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  General  Assembly  in  1853,  representing  in  it  the  Presbytery 
of  Lodiana.  During  his  stay  he  resided  in  Steubenville.  The 
other  visit  was  in  1870,  when  he  came  alone,  and  was  again  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Assembly  meeting  that  year  in  Philadelphia. 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him  about 

1855- 

Dr.  Newton  was  first  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  P.  Janvier,  a  for- 
mer teacher  in  the  Steubenville  Seminary,  where  she  had  embraced 
religion. 

They  had  four  sons,  all  of  whom  are  missionaries  in  India — Rev. 
Charles  Beatty  Newton,  and  Rev.  Francis  John  Newton  of  Lahore, 
Rev.  Edward  Payson  Newton  of  Lodiana,  and  Rev.  John  Newton, 
Jr.,  M.D.,  of  Sabathu. 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  igj 

They  also  had  two  daughters,  both  of  whom  were  married  to 
missionaries.  The  elder  is  Mrs.  Margaret  Forman  of  India.  The 
younger  is  deceased. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  may  well  regard  with  pride  the  mis- 
sionary record  of  John  Newton.  The  name  of  this  family  will  oc- 
cupy a  conspicuous  and  honored  place  in  the  ecclesiastical  history 
of  India  in  future  centuries. 

(i8)  Rev.  Robert  Wilberforce  Orr. 

Mr.  Orr  was  born  near  Clarion,  Clarion  county,  Pa.,  on  the  i8th 
day  of  January,  1808.  His  training  was  that  of  the  strict  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterian  stamp.  He  entered  Jefferson  College  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one,  with  the  intention  of  preparing  for  the  practice  of  law. 
But  while  there,  becoming  a  subject  of  divine  grace,  he  resolved  to 
seek  the  ministry.  He  was  graduated  at  Jefferson  College  in  1833, 
with  distinguished  honor.  He  pursued  the  full  course  in  the  West- 
ern Theological  Seminary,  and  afterwards  spent  one  session  at  Prince- 
ton as  a  resident  graduate.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Allegheny  (now  Butler),  then  embracing  Clarion  county,  and  or- 
dained in  1837  as  a  missionary  to  China  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Bedford,  N.  Y.  He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza 
Ann  Carter,  on  the  12th  day  of  September,  1837.  He  sailed  for 
Singapore,  on  the  nth  of  December,  in  the  same  year.  Here  he 
labored  efficiently,  visiting  Malacca,  Siam,  and  the  neighboring 
islands,  with  the  view  of  locating  the  mission  in  the  most  desirable 
place,  as  China  was  not  yet  open  to  foreigners.  His  health,  which 
had  been  impaired  even  before  he  left  the  Seminary,  began  to  fail 
during  his  second  year  of  service.  With  the  hope  of  regaining  it, 
he  spent  a  part  of  his  third  year  on  the  Nilgherry  Hills,  in  the  South 
of  India.  He  returned  to  Singapore  after  seven  months,  not  much 
benefited,  and  in  1841,  after  an  absence  of  four  years,  he  returned 
to  his  native  land. 

His  health  being  somewhat  recruited,  he  taught  in  the  Academy 
of  Clarion  for  two  years,  supplying,  a  part  of  his  time,  the  churches 
of  Bethel  and  Greenwood. 

In  the  autumn  of  1844,  he  was  elected  a  Professor  in  Jefferson 
College,  and  continued  in  this  position  for  seven  years,  preaching 
during  this  period  to  the  Church  of  Centre. 


i()8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

Severe  hemorrhage  from  the  lungs,  in  the  autumn  of  1 85 1 ,  com- 
pelled him  to  resign  his  professorship,  after  which  he  spent  some 
time  in  the  interest  of  the  endowment  of  the  College. 

In  the  spring  of  1854  he  returned  to  Clarion  county,  and  was 
elected  County  Superintendent  of  Common  Schools,  in  which  office 
he  remained  until  his  death,  supplying,  for  six  months  of  this  time, 
the  churches  of  Mill  Creek  and  Mount  Tabor.  He  died  near 
Clarion,  on  the  30th  day  of  March,  1857. 

Mr.  Orr  was  a  ripe  scholar,  an  able  theologian,  a  judicious  coun- 
sellor, and  an  earnest  minister  of  the  New  Testament.  His  end  was 
calm  and  peaceful.  He  often  repeated,  "  Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul." 
His  dying  prayer  was,  "  Come  quickly.  Lord  Jesus !" 

His  surviving  companion,  Mrs.  Eliza  Ann  Orr,  resides  in  Pitts- 
burgh, where  also  one  of  his  sons  is  living.  The  other  son  resides 
in  Chicago.  Rev.  Franklin  Orr,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Kittanning, 
is  his  brother. 

(19)  Rev.  John  B.  Pinney,  LL.D. 

Mr.  Pinney  was  born  in  Baltimore,  on  the  25th  day  of  December, 
1806.  He  graduated  at  the  University  of  Georgia,  at  Athens,  in 
1828.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Georgia  the  same  year,  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Crawford  presiding. 
He  taught  a  private  school  at  Walterborough,  South  Carolina,  for 
one  year,  after  which,  in  1829,  he  entered  the  Theological  Seminary 
at  Princeton,  and  continued  there  for  three  years. 

He  was  ordained  as  a  foreign  missionary,  with  Rev.  Joseph  Barr, 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  in  October,  1832.  He  embarked 
for  Africa  in  1832,  and  returned  in  the  summer  of  1833.  In  the 
autumn  of  the  same  year  he  again  sailed  for  Liberia,  and  in  1835  he 
returned  a  second  time.  In  1839  he  went  out  with  Messrs.  Canfield 
and  Alward,  and  returned  in  1840.  In  February,  1847,  he  was 
installed  pastor  of  the  Church  of  Washington,  Pa.  In  April,  1848, 
he  resigned  this  charge,  and  accepted  the  position  of  Corresponding 
Secretary  of  the  New  York  State  Colonization  Society,  in  which 
service  he  continued  until  1872.  In  March,  1875,  he  entered  upon 
the  work  of  securing  funds  for  educational  purposes  in  Lincoln 
University,  Oxford,  Pa.  With  this  .design,  in  the  summer  of  the 
same  year  he  visited  England  and  Scotland. 


MISSIONAKY  HISTORY.  igg 

For  twelve  years  Dr.  Pinney  was  the  editor  of  the  New  York 
Colonization  Journal. 

The  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Hamilton  Col- 
lege, Clinton,  N.  Y.,  in  i860. 

'Hie  dauntless  christian-  courage  with  which  Mr.  Pinney  sailed 
alone  for  the  insalubrious  coast  of  Africa,  after  Mr.  Barr  had  been 
smitten  down  at  his  side,  won  the  admiration  of  the  Church.  Con- 
strained to  abandon  his  chosen  field,  he  has  ever  since  discovered  a 
deep  interest  in  the  colored  race. 

(20)  Rev.  Joseph  Porter. 

Mr.  Porter  was  born  in  Derby  Plains,  Ohio,  on  the  5th  day  of 
January,  1808.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  made  a  public  profession 
of  his  faith,  and  soon  entered  upon  his  studies  for  the  ministry.  He 
graduated  at  Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  but  did  not  com- 
plete his  theological  course  in  this  country.  He  sailed  for  India  on 
the  1 6th  of  November,  1835.  He  reached  Lodiana  in  December, 
1836,  and  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Lodiana,  in  October,  1837.  In  1842  his  wife  was  removed  from 
the  toils  and  trials  of  earth.  In  1848  and  1849  Mr.  Porter  visited 
the  United  States  to  make  arrangements  for  the  education  of  his 
children.  He  remained  for  two  years,  presenting  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions to  the  churches.  In  a  visit  to  Western  Ohio  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  Miss  Mary  Parvin,  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Theo- 
philus  Parvin,  missionary  to  South  America.  With  her  he  was  after- 
ward joined  in  marriage.  They  sailed  for  India  on  the  8th  of  Au- 
gust, 1849,  and  after  four  additional  years  of  toil,  he  was  taken  to 
his  rest.  He  died  in  Lodiana,  on  the  21st  of  November,  1853,  in 
the  forty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  This  sad  event  occurred  at  the  time 
of  the  annual  meeting  of  the  mission,  and  when  eight  of  his  fellow- 
laborers  were  present. 

The  following  statement  from  the  Rev.  Jesse  M.  Jamieson,  D.D., 
is  given  in  Dr.  Lowrie's  "Manual  of  Missions":  "For  several 
years  before  his  death  Mr.  Porter  had  charge  of  the  Lodiana  mis- 
sion press,  and  was  indefatigable  in  his  labors  to  make  it  efficient. 
He  also  had  charge  of  all  the  mission  buildings,  and  seemed  to  take 
pleasure  in  relieving  his  brethren  of  the  secular  affairs  of  the  station. 
This  he  did  the  more  cheerfully,  as  for  several  years  an  affection  of 


PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


the  throat,  which  finally  undermined  his  constitution,  prevented  him 
from  doing  much  in  the  way  of  direct  preaching.  He  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  Hindustani  and  Punjabi  languages,  and  when 
his  health  permitted,  was  an  acceptalle  and  affectionate  preacher  in 
these  dialects.  His  last  work  on  earth  was  correcting  the  final  proof 
sheets  of  a  Punjaubi  dictionary  on  which  he  and  two  of  his  brethren 
had  long  labored.  This  labor  he  continued  until  the  day  before  his 
death,  or  until  his  hands  refused  to  perform  what  his  heart  desired." 

(21)  Mrs.  Harriet  J.  Porter. 

Mrs.  Porter,  the  first  wife  of  Rev.  Joseph  Porter,  was  a  native  of 
the  State  of  Indiana.  She  sailed  for  India  on  the  i6th  of  November, 
1835,  and  died  at  Lodiana,  on  March  loth,  1842.  She  was  highly 
esteemed  by  all  the  missionary  laborers  associated  with  her. 

(22)  Rev.  William  Reed. 

Mr.  Reed  was  born  in  1802,  in  Mifflin  county.  Pa.,  within  the 
bounds  of  the  East  Kishacoquillas  Church.  In  this  church  he  was 
baptized,  and  in  after  years  admitted  to  full  communion.  He 
graduated  at  Jefferson  College,  and  entered  the  Allegheny  Theolo- 
gical Seminary  in  1829,  where  he  continued  three  years.  He  was 
ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Huntingdon  on  the  first  day  of  May, 
1833,  at  an  interesting  meeting  held  in  the  Church  of  East  Kishaco- 
quillas. He  embarked  with  Rev.  John  C.  Lowrie,  for  India,  on  the 
30th  day  of  May,  1833,  and  arrived  in  Calcutta  in  the  month  of 
October  of  the  same  year.  While  engaged  in  acquiring  the  lan- 
guage, pulmonary  disease  gradually  developed  itself.  His  medical 
attendants  advised  his  return  to  his  native  land,  and  he  sailed  for 
Philadelphia  in  July.  He  declined  rapidly  during  the  voyage,  and 
died  on  the  12th  of  August,  1835,  in  the  thirty-second  year  of  his 
age.     He  was  buried  in  the  waters  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal. 

Rev.  John  C.  Lowrie,  U.D.,  his  colleague,  has  made  this  record  of 
him  in  his  "  Manual  of  Missions  :  "  "  Mr.  Reed  was  a  man  of  ex- 
cellent mind,  respectable  scholarship,  blameless  character,  and  sin- 
cere piety.  These  gifts  and  graces,  united  to  the  best  habits  of 
industry  and  much  energy,  led  the  Church  to  form  the  hope  of 
his  being  very  useful  in  the  service  of  Christ  among  the  heathen. 
It  was  not  unreasonable  to  expect  that  in  a  long  life  such  a  man 


AflSSIONARY  HISTORY. 


would  do  great  good.  Nor  can  it  be  questioned  tliat  even  the  short 
course  allotted  to  him  was  spent  in  the  best  way.  His  life  and 
his  example  were  known  to  a  large  number  of  Christian  friends. 
His  being  one  of  the  first  missionaries  of  a  new  and  distinctively 
ecclesiastical  organization,  was  itself  a  fact  of  much  moment  at  the 
time,  and  worthy  of  remembrance.  But  in  reference  to  him,  as  also 
to  many  others,  the  Church  must  recognize  the  will  of  the  Lord  as 
the  highest  reason  for  all  the  mysteries  of  Providence.  *  As  for 
God,  his  way  is  perfect.'  " 

(23)  Rev.  William  S.  Rogers. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  born  at  Greenfield,  Highland  county,  Ohio,  on 
the  14th  day  of  January,  1809.  He  received  his  literary  education 
at  Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  graduated  in  August,  1835, 
but  did  not  take  a  full  theological  course  in  this  country.  He  left 
for  India,  in  November,  1835,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Lodiana,  in  October,  1837.  He  returned  to  the 
United  States  in  the  autumn  of  1843,  ^^^  ^'^^  '^^^  Y^^^"  served  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Oxford,  Ohio,  as  stated  supply.  From 
1 844,  for  about  ten  years,  he  served  as  an  agent  of  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions.  After  laboring  in  an  agency  for  the  building  of 
the  Oxford  Female  Seminary,  he  again  ministered  as  stated  supply 
to  the  church  of  that  place.  He  also  served  successively  the  churches 
of  Camden,  Harmony,  College  Corners,  and  Shelby,  the  first  three 
being  in  the  vicinity  of  Oxford.  Meanwhile  he  held  a  ready  pen, 
and  wrote  frequently  for  the  press,  both  secular  and  religious, 
always  in  the  interest  of  humanity  and  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  He 
died  in  Oxford,  on  the  20th  day  of  August,  1873,  in  the  sixty- 
seventh  year  of  his  age. 

Rev.  J.  M.  Wampler  says  of  Mr.  Rogers  : 

"Personally,  Bro.  Rogers  was  a  man  of  tall,  spare,  and  rather 
delicate  frame,  with  a  fair  complexion ;  and,  during  his  latter  years, 
his  locks  were  almost  white,  which,  with  his  full-flowing  snow- 
white  beard,  gave  him  quite  a  venerable  and  patriarchal  appear- 
ance, and  from  every  lineament  of  his  countenance  beamed  good- 
ness and  kindness — a  true  index  of  the  inner-man.  Socially  he 
was  affable,  courteous,  a  Christian  gentleman,  at  home  in  every  cir- 
cle.    But  the  most  noted  feature  was  his  religious  character.     In  this 


202  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

respect  he  was  eminently  a  light  to  all  around  him.  He  filled  my 
idea  of  '  that  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved '  about  as  nearly  as  any  man 

1  ever  knew."  After  his  decease  a  friend  remarked  to  me:  "His 
daily  walk  was  a  living  exemplification  of  the  gospel."  Another 
said  :  "  He  was  as  good  a  man,  if  not  the  best,  that  ever  walked  the 
streets  of  Oxford."  Even  ungodly  men  were  constrained  to  recog- 
nize him  as  one  of  the  excellent  of  the  earth.  As  a  preacher  he 
was  clear,  earnest,  spiritual,  practical — his  matter  fitted  rather  to 
feed  the  piety  and  quicken  the  graces  of  God's  children,  than  to 
awaken  the  impenitent.  The  one  great  subject  which  lay  nearest 
his  heart,  and  occupied  his  thoughts,  was  that  of  foreign  missions. 
His  heart  yearned  for  the  salvation  of  a  lost  world,  and  the  glory 
of  Christ. 

During  his  last  illness  he  was  characteristically  patient  and  resigned, 
havirig  "no  solicitude,"  as  he  expressed  himself  to  me,  as  to  the  re- 
sult of  his  sickness.  Often,  during  the  paroxysms  of  extreme  pain, 
he  would  seek  to  comfort  his  friends  by  saying,  "but  for  a  moment." 
When  near  his  end,  he  committed  his  family  to  their  covenant-keep- 
ing God  by  the  simple  monosyllable  '^  trust.'' 

(24)  Rev.  James  Wilson. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  born  in  Ligonier  Valley,  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

2  4th  of  November,  1802;  was  graduated  at  Jefferson  College  in  1 830 ; 
completed  the  course  of  three  years'  study  in  the  Allegheny  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Red- 
stone in  April,  1833.  He  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Hud- 
son, Goshen,  N.  Y.,  as  their  missionary  to  India,  on  the  20th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1834,  and  sailed  from  Boston,  with  Rev.  John  Newton,  on 
the  5  th  of  November  of  the  same  year.  He  arrived  in  Calcutta 
early  in  February  of  1835,  and  reached  Lodiana  in  December  of  that 
year.  This  was  the  first  mission  station  of  the  Western  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society.  He  was  transferred  to  Sabathu,  in  the  Himalaya 
mountains,  in  October,  1836,  and  to  Allahabad  in  the  autumn  of 
1837.  After  seven  years  of  labor  there,  he  accepted  an  invitation 
from  Lieut. -Governor  Thomason  to  remove  to  Agra,  and  take  the 
Secretaryship  and  Treasuryship  of  the  N.  India  Bible  Society  at  its 
organization  in  that  place.  By  advice  of  the  mission,  he  returned  to 
America,  in  August,  1852,  and  since  then  he  has  been  supplying  va- 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY.  203 

rious  congregations  in  Virginia,  Tennessee,  and  Georgia.  He  has 
two  sons  in  the  ministry — Rev.  Luther  Halsey  Wilson,  and  Rev. 
John  Lowrie  Wilson,  both  of  whom  are  settled  in  South  Carolina. 
He  also  has  two  sons  in  the  eldership — the  one  residing  in  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  and  the  other  in  the  State  of  Kentucky. 

The  present  address  of  Rev.  James  Wilson  is  Nashville,  Tennessee. 
Though  laboring  for  twenty  years  past,  in  parts  remote  from  the 
scenes  of  his  youth,  his  associates  in  the  Seminary,  and  in  his  sub- 
sequent missionary  toils,  remember  him  with  great  affection. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


REV.  S.  ].  M.  EATON.  D.D., 

i'lSuiklin,  Pa. 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


|T  was  a  grand  country  upon  which  the  fathers  entered 
an  hundred  years  ago.  It  was  the  far  West  then,  em- 
bracing Western  Pennsylvania  and  Eastern  Ohio.  The 
French  had  claimed  it ;  the  red  men  of  the  forest  con- 
tended earnestly  for  its  possession ;  the  Jesuits  had  been  in  the 
advance  in  exploring  its  resources.  Yet  the  hand  of  Providence 
seemed  to  have  preserved  it  for  the  special  occupation  of  that  grand 
people  we  call  Scotch-Irish. 

The  Ohio  Company,  formed  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century 
for  its  settlement,  could  not  induce  German  immigrants  to  enter  be- 
cause of  the  support  required  for  the  Church  of  England.  And  so 
the  land  was  held  in  abeyance  until  the  strong,  rugged  Presby- 
terians, whose  ancestors  had  worn  blue  bonnets  and  explored  peat 
bogs,  who  feared  neither  French  nor  Indians  nor  the  mighty  forest, 
were  prepared  to  enter  in  and  take  possession. 

Other  influences  assisted.  The  French  were  conquered  on  the 
"Plains  of  Abraham,"  in  1759;  Pontiac,  that  grandest  of  all  Indian 
Sagamores,  and  whose  conspiracy,  mightier  than  that  of  Catiline  at 
Rome,  had  been  suppressed,  made  peace  in  1 763  ;  finally  the  treaty 
of  Anthony  Wayne,  concluded  in  August,  1794,  opened  the  way  for 
conquest  on  more  peaceful  fields. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  was  planted,  first  in  what  are  now 
Washington,  Fayette,  Westmoreland,  and  Allegheny  counties,  in 
Pennsylvania,  along  the  Monongahela  and  Ohio  rivers  and  their 
branches ;  thence  up  the  Allegheny  to  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie, 
thence  to  the  Muskingum,  the  Scioto,  and  the  Cuyahoga  rivers, 
making  this  dense  wilderness  glad,  and  opening  the  way  for  the 
20^ 


2o8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


spread  of  civilization  and  religion  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
the  Pacific  Ocean. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  had  been  settled  largely  by 
immigrants  from  Ireland  and  Scotland.  In  the  year  1729,  there 
arrived  in  Pennsylvania  from  Europe  six  thousand  two  hundred  and 
eight  persons,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  in  that  colony,  of  whom 
more  than  five  thousand  were  from  Ireland.*  Before  the  middle 
of  the  century,  twelve  thousand  arrived  annually  for  several  years,  f 

In  1736,  one  thousand  families  sailed  from  Belfast  alone  for  this 
country. 

The  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  were  grand  material  for  the  erec- 
tion of  new  states  and  churches  in  the  wilderness.  Their  ancestors 
have  a  grand  record  that  reaches  back  to  the  possession  of  Western 
Europe  by  the  Romans.  TertuUian  says  that  many  Christians,  to 
escape  the  persecution  of  the  Roman  power,  fled  to  regions  inacces- 
sible to  the  Romans.  They  found  a  refuge  and  a  home  amid  the 
bleak  mountains  of  Scotland  and  the  Northern  coast  of  Ireland. 
"  The  Scotch  Church  was  planted  by  Christian  refugees,  at  a  period 
unknown  to  history."  | 

The  settlers  of  this  region  of  Western  Pennsylvania  were  nearly 
all  the  descendants  of  these  immigrants  from  Ireland  and  Scotland. 
They  had  the  same  blood  in  their  veins  that  had  flowed  at  London- 
derry and  the  Boyne  Water.  It  was  the  blood  of  the  Covenanters, 
martyrs,  and  witnesses  of  Jesus  in  the  old  historic  days.  They  were 
God's  chosen  people,  sent  here  to  conquer  this  rugged  land  for 
God,  and  their  influence  is  felt  here  to  this  day. 

How  soon  the  influences  of  Presbyterianism  were  felt  here  we 
cannot  tell.  The  mosses  have  gathered  upon  the  records.  The 
footprints  have  become  dim  as  the  years  have  passed  beyond  the 
century.  But  we  know  those  old  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  well 
enough  to  be  very  sure  that  like  Abraham  of  old  they  would  build 
their  altar  wherever  they  pitched  their  tent. 

There  was  a  population  here  very  early  in  the  last  century.  In 
1738,  "John  Caldwell,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  many  families  of 
our  persuasion  who  are  about  to  settle  in  the  back  parts  of  Virginia," 
induced  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  to  appeal  to  Gov.  Gooch,  of  Vir- 
ginia, "  for  countenance  and  protection  "   in  their  proposed  settle- 

*  Foote'B  Notes.  t  Proud's  Hist,  of  Penn.  %  Dr.  Speer. 


THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   HISTORY.  zoq 

raent.  The  countenance  and  protection  was  granted,  and  they  went 
to  "  settle  on  the  western  side  of  our  great  mountains." 

In  1 760,  the  year  when  Fort  Pitt  was  completed,  there  is  evidence 
that  a  large  population  was  planted  in  this  region.  Smoltet,  in  his 
History  of  England,  tells  us  that  the  completion  of  this  fort  estab- 
lished the  perfect  security  of  about  four  thousand  settlers,  who  now 
returned  to  the  quiet  possession  of  their  lands. 

The  first  Protestant  sermon  preached  west  of  the  Allegheny  moun- 
tains was  by  Rev.  Charles  Beatty.  He  came  to  Fort  du  Quesne 
November  24,  1758,  with  the  army  that  took  possession  of  the  fort, 
evacuated  that  day  by  the  French,  and,  by  order  of  the  commander. 
Gen.  Forbes,  the  next  day,  or  the  following,  preached  a  Thanks- 
giving sermon  before  the  army.* 

In  1760,  Rev.  Messrs.  Alexander  and  Hector  Allison  were  di- 
rected by  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  to  go  with  the  Pennsylvania 
forces.  In  1766,  Rev.  Messrs.  Charles  Beatty  and  George  Dufifield 
were  sent  by  the  Synod  to  explore  the  frontier  settlements  and  ascer- 
tain the  condition  of  the  Indians.  They  arrived  at  Pittsburgh  on 
the  5  th  of  September,  finding  Chaplain  McLagan  in  spiritual  charge 
of  the  fort.  On  the  following  Sabbath  Mr.  Beatty  preached  in  the 
fort,  and  both  the  missionaries  preached  to  the  people  who  lived 
outside  the  fort.  Thence  they  proceeded  as  far  west  as  the  Mus- 
kingum, when  they  returned  to  Pittsburgh,  and  then  to  their  homes 
in  the  East. 

Mr.  Beatty  died  at  Bridgeton,  N.  J.,  August  13,  1792.  He  was 
the  father  of  Erkuries  Beatty,  who  was  the  father  of  Rev.  Charles 
C.  Beatty,  D.D.,  who  is  with  us  at  this  day,  and  has  been  a  most 
efficient  laborer  in  the  region  whose  territory  and  history  we  are 
considering. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Beatty's  visit  Mr.  Anderson  was  appointed  to  visit 
this  region,  with  the  promise  of  twenty  shillings  for  every  Sabbath 
he  should  preach  "  on  the  other  side  of  the  Kittatinning  mountains." 

In  1769,  the  Synod  ordered  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal  to  supply 
the  Western  frontier  with  ten  Sabbaths  of  ministerial  labor.  So  we 
see  that  for  nearly  twenty  years  before  the  settlement  of  a  minister 
in  this  region,  the  Synod  used  its  utmost  efforts  to  supply  it  with 
the  means  of  grace. 

*  Letter  of  John  Haslett  to  Rev.  Dr.  Allison,  November  24,  1758. 
O 


2IO  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

James  Finley 
was  the  first  of  the  pioneer  ministers  who  visited  this  region.  This 
was  in  1771.  He  came  on  horseback,  witli  a  single  companion,  to 
explore  the  country,  and  prepare  the  way  for  a  permanent  settlement. 
He  was  at  this  time  in  the  prime  of  life,  about  forty  years  of  age ; 
born  in  the  province  of  Ulster,  Ireland ;  educated  at  the  Faggs  Manor 
School.  He  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  in  1 752. 
In  person  he  was  a  fat,  nervous,  florid  little  man,  able  to  endure 
hardships,  and  prepared,  as  soon  as  circumstances  would  admit,  to 
cast  in  his  lot  with  the  new  settlements.  He  moved  thither  with  his 
family  in  1783,  and  about  two  years  afterwards  became  pastor  of  the 
Churches  of  Rehoboth  and  Round  Hill,  first  called  "  Upper  and 
Lower  Meeting  Houses."  Of  these  churches  he  continued  pastor 
until  his  death,  that  occurred  January  6,  1795. 

James  Power,  D.D., 
first  visited  the  new  settlements  in  1774.  He  was  born  in  Chester 
county.  Pa.,  in  1746;  graduated  at  Princeton  in  1766;  licensed  by 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  June  24,  1772.  In  1776  he  was  or- 
dained by  the  same  Presbytery  sine  titulo,  the  reason  being  assigned 
that  "he  was  about  to  remove  to  the  Western  parts  of  this  province." 

Mr.  Power  moved  across  the  mountains  with  all  his  family  and 
household  effects  packed  on  horseback.  The  minister  carried  the 
eldest  daughter  on  a  pillion- behind  him,  and  the  youngest  in  his  arms. 
The  two  other  daughters  were  seated  in  baskets  hung  on  either 
side  of  another  horse,  the  mother  on  a  third,  and  the  household 
effects  on  other  horses. 

After  performing  missionary  work  for  some  five  years,  he  became 
pastor  of  the  Churches  of  Sewickley  and  Mount  Pleasant.  In  1787 
he  was  released  from  the  charge  of  the  Sewickley  Church,  but  con- 
tinued with  Mount  Pleasant  until  181 7.  He  died  August  5,  1830, 
aged  eighty-five  years. 

Mr.  Power  was  of  medium  height,  erect,  slender,  graceful  in  man- 
ners, and  extremely  neat  in  his  dress.  As  a  preacher  he  was  clear, 
methodical,  and  evangelical. 

John  McMillan,  D.D., 
was  the  next  man  on  the  ground ;  of  Irish  descent ;  born  at  Faggs 
Manor  in  1752;  graduated  at  Princeton;  licensed  in  1774.     He 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


first  visited  the  West  in  1775.  He  returned  the  next  year,  but  owing 
to  Indian  difficulties  did  not  remove  his  family  to  Washington  county 
until  1778,  when  he  took  charge  of  the  congregations  of  Chartiers 
and  Pigeon  Creek.  From  the  latter  he  was  dismissed  about  the  year 
1800;  of  the  former  he  continued  pastor  until  1830.  He  died  at 
Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania,  November  16,  1833,  i"^  ^^^  eighty-first 
year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  McMillan  was  not  attractive  in  personal  appearance.  He  was 
six  feet  in  height,  rough-hewn  in  features,  brusque  in  manners,  and 
with  a  voice  that  was  like  the  rumbling  of  thunder. 

Thaddeus  Dodd 

was  born  in  New  Jersey,  March  7th,  1740.  His  parents  were  from 
Connecticut.  He  graduated  at  Princeton,  in  1773;  licensed  in 
1775;  he  came  to  the  West  in  1777.  He  became  pastor  of  the 
churches  of  "  Upper  and  Lower  Ten  Mile,"  in  Washington  county. 
His  death  took  place  May  20th,  1793,  in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his 
age. 

Mr.  Dodd  was  a  man  of  sallow  complexion,  erect,  slender,  with 
dark  hair,  and  eyes  that  were  keen  and  lively.  He  was  a  fine 
scholar,  particularly  in  the  department  of  mathematics.  He  was 
supposed  to  have  been  in  his  day  the  only  man  in  the  West  who 
thoroughly  understood  the  mysteries  of  Gunter's  scale.  He  was 
known  as  a  son  of  consolation.  His  life  was  gentle,  his  preaching 
earnest,  persuasive,  and  particularly  attractive  to  the  young. 

Joseph  Smith 

was  a  Marylander,  born  at  Nottingham,  in  1736;  graduated  at 
Princeton  in  1764;  licensed,  August  5,  1767;  he  came  to  the  West 
in  1 7  79.  In  the  fall  of  that  year,  calls  were  presented  him  from  Buffalo 
and  Cross  Creek  congregations.  In  the  following  spring  he  moved 
out  and  commenced  the  work.  This  was  his  life  work.  He 
preached  here  until  his  death,  April,  1792,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six. 

Mr.  Smith  was  tall  and  slender,  fair  in  complexion,  fine  counten- 
ance, and  eyes  that  were  fairly  brilliant.  He  was  a  son  of  thunder; 
dealt  largely  in  the  terrors  of  the  law,  so  much  so  as  to  be  called 
"  Hell  fire  Smith"  by  those  who  were  lacking  in  reverence.  Rev. 
Samuel  Porter,  one  of  his  contemporaries,  says  of  him :  "I  never 
heard  a  man  who  could  so  completely  as  Mr.  Smith  unbar  the  gates 


212  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

of  hell,  and  make  me  look  far  down  into  the  abyss ;  or  who  could 
so  throw  open  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  let  me  glance  at  the  insuffer- 
able brightness  of  the  great  white  throne."  He  was  a  very  devo- 
tional man.  He  kept  a  cloak  near  his  bed  in  winter  to  wrap  him- 
self in,  when  he  would  arise  in  the  night  hours  for  prayer.  With 
these  four  ministers,  McMillan,  Power,  Dodd,  and  Smith,  the  West- 
ern Church  crystalizes  into  the  form  of  the 

Presbytery  of  Redstone. 

This  Presbytery  was  erected  by  the  Synod  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia,  on  the  i6th  of  May,  1781.  It  was  directed  to  meet 
at  Laurel  Hill,  in  what  is  now  Fayette  county,  on  the  third  Monday 
of  September  following,  at  11  o'clock  a.m.  The  time  approached, 
but  the  incursions  of  Indians  in  the  neighborhood  of  some  of  the 
members  of  the  Presbytery,  rendered  the  meeting  at  Laurel  Hill 
impracticable.  The  meeting  was  held  in  Pigeon  Creek,  Washington 
county.  The  record  runs  thus  :  ' '  Ubi  post  preces  sederunt,  the 
Rev.  Messrs.  John  McMillan,  James  Power,  and  Thaddeus  Dodd ; 
Elders,  John  Neil,  Demas  Lindley,  and  Patrick  Scott;  absent, 
Rev  Joseph  Smith." 

This  was  the  first  meeting  of  Presbytery  west  of  the  Allegheny 
Mountains.  The  second  meeting  was  a  failure,  no  quorum  appeared. 
The  third  meeting  was  also  a  failure,  "owing  to  the  incursions  of 
the  savages."  At  the  next  meeting,  Rev.  James  Dunlap  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle.  He  had  received  calls 
from  the  churches  of  Laurel  Hill  and  Dunlap's  Creek.  Mr. — after- 
wards Dr. — Dunlap  was  born  in  Chester  county,  in  1744;  graduated 
at  Princeton  in  1773  ;  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  in 
1 781.  In  the  year  1802,  he  was  elected  President  of  Jefferson  Col- 
lege; resigned  1811  ;  died  near,  Philadelphia,  November  22,  1818. 

At  this  meeting  of  Presbytery  James  Edgar  was  present.  He 
was  a  prominent  elder,  and  a  man  of  great  influence  in  the  Presby- 
tery. Judge  Brackenridge  says  of  him:  "He  was  an  associate 
judge  of  the  county  of  Washington,  and  a  kind  of  Rabbi  in  the 
Presbyterian  churches  in  the  Western  country.  His  head  was  pre- 
maturely hoary  with  prayers  and  fastings  and  religious  exercises ; 
his  face  thin  and  puritanical,  like  the  figures  of  the  old  Republicans 
in  the  Long  Parliament  of  England." 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  213 

Judge  Edgar's  influence  was  great,  not  only  amongst  his  neigh- 
bors but  throughout  the  Presbytery.  He  was  a  wise  counsellor, 
and  an  efficient  laborer  in  the  cause  of  Presbyterianism. 

In  1 78 1,  John  Clark,  already  an  old  man,  came  into  the  bounds, 
and  became  pastor  of  Lebanon  and  Bethel.  He  died  in  1797.  In 
1785,  Alexander  Addison  was  received  under  the  care  of  Pres- 
bytery as  a  licentiate  from  Scotland.  He  preached  for  a  time  at 
Washington,  Pa.  After  a  time  he  gave  up  preaching,  and  became 
distinguished  in  the  legal  profession. 

Rev.  Dr.  Carnahan,  of  Princeton  College,  says  of  him:  "  Alex- 
ander Addison  was  president  of  the  courts  in  the  four  counties,  and 
I  venture  to  say  that  a  more  intelligent,  learned,  upright,  and  fear- 
less judge  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  State." 

In  the  year  1785,  Samuel  Barr  accepted  calls  from  Pittsburgh  and 
Pitt  township.  In  1 788,  four  candidates  were  licensed  to  preach  the 
gospel — Brice,  Hughes,  McGready,  and  Patterson.  Mr.  McGready 
became  famous  in  the  Kentucky  revivals.  Brice  settled  at  Three 
Ridges  and  Forks  of  Wheeling,  Hughes  at  Short  Creek  and  Lower 
Buffalo,  and  Patterson  at  Raccoon. 

James  Hughes 
was  a  native  of  York  county,  educated  under  direction  of  Rev.  Jo- 
seph Smith  and  Thaddeus  Dodd.  He  afterwards  became  a  member 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Miami,  and  in  181 8  was  chosen  Principal  of 
what  is  now  Miami  University.  He  died  May  22,  182 1,  at  Oxford, 
Ohio,  aged  fifty-six  years,  leaving  a  beautiful  record  of  zeal  in  the 
Lord's  work. 

Joseph  Patterson 
was  a  famous  man  in  his  day.  He  was  born  in  Ireland,  studied 
with  Joseph  Smith,  and  was  somewhat  advanced  in  years  at  the  time 
of  his  licensure.  He  continued  the  pastor  of  Raccoon  for  some 
twenty-seven  years.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  Pittsburgh  in  works 
of  great  usefulness,  seeking  out  the  poor,  and  distributing  Bibles  to 
boatmen.  He  was  a  man  of  faith,  earnest  in  prayer,  and  devoted 
to  the  Lord's  work.  He  died  February  4,  1832,  in  the  eightieth 
year  of  his  age. 

During  the  few  years  succeeding,  John  McPherrin,  Samuel  Por- 
ter, Robert  Marshall,  George  Hill,  William  Swan,  and  Thomas  Mar- 


214  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

quis  were  licensed.  These  men  had  all  been  educated  at  home,  and 
became  efficient  laborers  in  the  field.  During  the  same  period, 
Jacob  Jennings  was  received  from  the  "  Low  Dutch  Church."  Of 
these, 

Samuel  Porter 

was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1760.  His  studies  were  pursued  under  di- 
rection of  Mr.  Smith  and  Dr.  McMillan,  the  latter  making  no  charge 
for  board  or  tuition,  while  a  friend  provided  for  his  family  in  the 
meantime.  He  was  licensed  November  12,  1789.  In  the  following 
year,  he  became  pastor  of  the  congregations  of  Poke  Run  and  Con- 
gruity.  Of  the  former  he  was  pastor  until  1 798 ;  of  the  latter,  until 
his  death,  September  23,  1825,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

George  Hill 
was  born  in  York  county,  March  13,  1764.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach,  December  22,  1791.  He  was  first  settled  in  the  congrega- 
tions of  Fairfield,  Donegal,  and  Wheatfield,  November  13,  1792. 
Six  years  afterwards,  he  resigned  the  charge  of  Wheatfield,  and  ac- 
cepted a  call  from  Ligonier.  In  these  charges  he  labored  until  his 
death,  June  9,  1822,  in  the  sixty -eighth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a 
man  of  remarkable  vigor  of  constitution,  with  a  mind  to  work,  and 
did  good  service  for  the  Master.  Rev.  George  Hill,  D.D.,  of  Blairs- 
ville,  is  his  grandson. 

Jacob  Jennings 
was  born  in  New  Jersey,  in  1744.  He  was  a  descendant  of  the 
Plymouth  Pilgrims,  and  a  physician  by  profession,  having  practiced 
medicine  for  twenty  years  before  his  licensure.  He  was  licensed  by 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  and  received  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Redstone,  April  17,  1792.  He  was  settled  as  pastor  of  Dunlap's 
Creek,  in  Fayette  county,  where  he  continued  until  June,  181 1, 
when,  on  account  of  infirmity,  he  was  released  from  his  charge.  He 
died  February  17,  181 3,  aged  sixty-nine.  He  was  the  father  of 
Rev.  Obadiah  Jennings,  and  grandfather  of  Rev.  S.  C.  Jennings, 
D.D. 

David  Smith 
was  the  son  of  Rev.  Joseph  Smith,  one  of  the  original  members  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Redstone.      He  was  born  1772;  graduated  at 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  215 

Hampden-Sidney  College ;  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Redstone, 
November  14,  1792;  settled  first  at  George's  Creek  and  Tent,  in 
Fayette  county,  afterwards  at  Rehoboth  and  Round  Hill,  until  his 
death,  August  24,  1803,  in  the  thirty-second  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  the  father  of  Rev.  Joseph  Smith,  D.D.,  the  historian  of  '*  Old 
Redstone." 

Tlie  Presbytery  of  Redstone  was  composed  of  able,  devoted,  and 
self-denying  men.  They  were  the  men  for  the  times.  Although 
commencing  in  the  wilderness,  they  were  not  forgetful  of  the  pros- 
pective wants  of  the  country.  They  laid  the  foundations  deep  and 
broad.  The  influence  they  exerted  in  the  planting  of  the  church  is 
felt  at  the  present  day,  not  only  in  the  region  where  they  labored, 
but  in  the  regions  beyond. 

The  Presbytery  of  Ohio. 

was  erected  by  the  Synod  of  Virginia  in  1793.  The  ministers  com- 
posing it  were  John  McMillan,  Joseph  Patterson,  James  Hughes, 
John  Clark,  and  John  Brice.  The  Monongahela  River  bounded  its 
territory  on  the  East  and  North,  thence  the  line  ran  northward  to 
Presque  Isle  or  Erie.  On  the  West  it  embraced  the  frontier  settle- 
ments in  Western  Reserve  in  Ohio. 

Other  names  were  soon  added  to  the  roll,  giving  it  strength  and 
efficiency. 

ThOiMas  Marquis 
was  one  of  these.  He  was  born  near  Winchester,  Va.,  in  1753,  °^ 
Irish  parentage;  emigrated  to  Washington  county,  1775;  studied 
with  Joseph  Smith,  and  at  the  Canonsburg  Academy,  also  with  Dr. 
McMillan  ;  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Redstone,  April  19,  1793  > 
ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  June  13,  1794;  and  installed  as 
pastor  of  the  congregations  of  Upper  Buffalo  and  Cross  Creek.  Of 
the  latter  he  continued  the  pastor  until  1826.  He  died,  September 
29,  1827,  aged  seventy-four.  He  was  below  the  middle  stature, 
features  small,  finely  formed,  with  the  lines  of  thought  deeply  traced. 
He  had  a  sweet  musical  voice,  and  was  sometimes  called  "  the 
silver-tongued  Marquis."  He  was  a  grand  and  attractive  preacher 
in  his  day. 

Samuel  Ralston 
was  an  Irishman  ;  born  in  1756,  and  graduated  at  the  University  of 
Glasgow.     He  was  licensed  in  Ireland ;  emigrated  to  this  country 


zib  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

in  1794;  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  November  30,  1796, 
and  installed  as  pastor  of  Mingo  Creek.  This  charge  continued 
until  his  death,  September  25,  1851.  He  also  preached  a  portion 
of  his  time  at  Horseshoe  Bottom  and  Williamsport.  His  entire 
charge  was  in  Washington  county.  "Dr.  Ralston  was  a  man  of 
war  from  his  youth,"  an  author  of  some  prominence,  and  a  success- 
ful pastor. 

John  Anderson,  D.  D., 

was  a  North  Carolinian  ;  born  April  10,  1767;  studied  with  Rev. 
David  Caldwell,  D.D.  ;  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Orange, 
1793.  In  1802  he"  became  pastor  of  the  congregation  of  Upper 
Buffalo.  This  relation  continued  until  June  18,  1833.  He  died 
February,  8,  1835. 

Rev.  S.  C.  Jennings,  D.D.,  says  of  him  :  "  Dr.  Anderson  was  tall, 
slender,  with  light  hair,  sunken  cheeks,  and  eyes  and  teeth  protruding. 
His  appearance  late  in  life  was  so  cadaverous  as  to  excite  sympa- 
thy. He  was  very  plain  in  his  apparel,  wearing  usually  homs-made 
cloth,  and  not  always  black." 

He  was  a  very  pungent  preacher,  and  was  called  by  his  brethren 
"  the  screw  auger."  "  He  bored  down, into  the  very  inmost  souls 
of  men,  and  drew  up  and  presented  to  their  astonished  view  de- 
praved passions  and  appetites  that  they  had  never  imagined  to  be 
there." 

He  was  not  without  humor.  At  one  time  a  member  of  Synod 
protested  against  being  called  Doctor  of  Divinity.  "Oh !  "  said  Dr. 
Anderson,  "just  treat  it  as  a  nickname.  They  formerly  called  me 
'  Bare  Bones,'  and  I  bore  it  without  saying  a  word,  and  found  it 
the  easiest  way." 

Moses  Allen 

was  the  son-in-law  of  Dr.  McMillan.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
1802,  and  soon  became  the  pastor  of  the  congregations  of  New 
Providence  and  Jefferson.  He  was  for  a  time  pastor  of  Raccoon, 
and  afterwards  of  Crab  Apple,  in  Ohio. 

George  M.  Scott 
was  a  Princeton  student.     He  became  pastor  of  the  congregation  of 
Mill  Creek,  in  Beaver  county.     His   labors  continued  here  from 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  2tj 


1801  to  1826.  He  was  of  low  stature,  round  face,  and  bland  dis- 
position. 

In  the  meantime  other  laborers  entered  the  field,  of  whom  were 
William  Woods,  Joseph  Anderson,  John  McClean,  Andrew  Gwinn, 
John  Watson  (the  first  President  of  Jefferson  College),  Thos.  Moore, 
James  Snodgrass,  William  Wylie,  and  others.  Congregations  had 
been  multiplying;  the  country  was  filling  up  with  settlers,  and 
the  settlements  extending  northward  to  Lake  Erie,  and  westward 
toward  the  interior  of  Ohio.  The  territory  was  becoming  too  large 
for  a  single  Presbytery,  and  petitions  were  presented  to  Synod  for  a 
new  Presbytery,  looking  also  toward  the  organization  of  a  new 
Synod. 

The  Presbytery  of  Erie 

was  erected  by  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  at  a  meeting  held  at  Win- 
chester, Va.,  October  2,  1801.  The  following  is  the  minute  of 
Synod:  "At  the  unanimous  request  of  the  members  present  from 
the  Presbyteries  of  Redstone  and  Ohio,  the  Synod  did  and  hereby 
do  erect  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Thomas  E.  Hughes,  William  Wick,  Samuel 
Tait,  Joseph  Stockton,  and  Robert  Lee,  together  with  all  the  con- 
gregations north  and  northwest  of  the  Ohio  and  Allegheny  rivers, 
unto  the  place  where  the  Ohio  river  crosses  the  western  boundary 
of  Pennsylvania,  into  a  separate  Presbytery,  to  be  called  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Erie,  and  appointed  their  first  meeting  to  be  held  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  April  next.  William 
Wick  was  appointed  to  open  the  meeting  with  a  sermon,  and  preside 
until  a  new  Moderator  be  chosen." 

At  the  appointed  time  the  Presbytery  met.  In  the  meantime,  two 
other  brethren  had  come  into  the  bounds :  James  Satterfield  and 
William  Wylie.  All  the  ministers  were  present,  with  four  elders : 
William  Plumer,  John  Monteith,  William  Waddell,  and  Ithiel  Dodd. 
"Supplications"  for  supplies  came  in  from  seventeen  vacant 
churches  or  congregations. 

These  seven  ministers  were  all  settled  at  the  organization  of  the 
Presbytery. 

Thomas  Edgar  Hughes 

was  pastor  of  Mount  Pleasant  and  Salem.  He  heads  the  long  roll 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Erie.     He  was  the  first  minister  of  the  Gospel 


2i8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION.     ' 

who  settled  north  of  the  Ohio  river.  He  was  of  Welsh  origin,  and 
born  in  York  county,  Pa.,  April  7,  1769;  graduated  at  Princeton 
probably  in  1797;  studied  theology  with  Dr.  McMillan;  hcensed 
to  preach  by  the  Ohio  Presbytery,  October  17,  1798;  ordained  by 
the  same,  August  28,  1799.  ^^  ^^  pastor  of  New  Salem  until 
1808,  and  Mount  Pleasant  until  1830.  He  died  May  2,  1838,  in 
the  seventieth  year  of  his  age.  Four  of  his  sons,  WiUiam,  John  D., 
Watson,  and  James  R.,  became  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

William  Wick 

was  a  descendant  of  the  Pilgrims.  He  was  pastor  of  Hopewell, 
now  in  Lawrence  county,  Pa. ,  and  Youngstown,  Mahoning  county, 
Ohio.  He  was  the  first  permanent  laborer  in  the  Western  Reserve. 
He  was  born  on  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  June  29,  1768;  studied  at 
Canonsburg  Academy  and  at  Dr.  McMillan's  Log  Cabin ;  licensed 
to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  August  28,  1799 ; 
ordained  by  the  same,  September  3,  1800,  and  installed  as  pastor  of 
Neshannock  and  Hopewell.  During  the  next  year  he  was  released 
from  Neshannock,  and  gave  half  his  time  to  Youngstown.  Of  the 
churches  of  Hopewell  and  Youngstown  he  remained  pastor  until  his 
death,  March  29,  1815,  in  the  forty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

Samuel  Tait 

was  born  near  Shippensburg,  Pa.,  February  17,  1772.  He  too 
studied  at  Canonsburg  and  with  Dr.  McMillan,  and  was  licensed 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  June  25,  1800  ;  ordained  by  the  same, 
November  19,  1800.  His  first  charge  was  Cool  Spring  and  Upper 
Salem,  in  Mercer  county.  Pa.  In  June,  1806,  he  commenced  his 
labors  in  Mercer,  Pa.,  where  his  pastorate  continued  until  his  death, 
June  2,  1841,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age.  This  man  proved 
to  be  one  of  Erie's  great  men.  He  was  mighty  in  prayer,  untiring 
in  energy,  and  devoted  to  the  Lord's  work. 

Joseph  Stockton 
was  a  Pennsylvanian ;  born  near  Chambersburg,  February  25, 
1779;  studied  at  Canonsburg  and  with  Dr.  McMillan;  licensed  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  June  26,  1799,  and  ordained  by  the  same, 
June  24,  1801,  and  installed  as  pastor  of  the  churches  of  Meadville 
and  Little  Sugar  Creek,  in  Crawford  county.  Pa.     This  relation  was 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  srg 

dissolved  June  27,  1810.  He  was  the  author  of  the  "Western 
Spelling  Book"  and  "Western  Calculator."  He  died  October  29, 
1832,  in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

Robert  Lee 

was  another  Canonsburg  student,  studying  theology  with  Dr.  Mc- 
Millan. He  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  the  year  1771;  licensed  by 
Ohio  Presbytery,  October  22,  1800,  and  ordained  by  the  same, 
June  26,  1801 ;  and  installed  as  pastor  of  Amity  and  Big  Spring,  in 
Mercer  county.  Pa.  He  died  in  Leesville,  Ohio,  February  9,  1842, 
in  the  seventy-first  year  of  his  age.  In  person  he  was  tall,  slender, 
and  dignified  in  deportment. 

James  Satterfield 

was  a  Marylander,  born  August,  1767.  Moving  into  Washington 
county,  brought  him  within  the  sphere  of  Dr.  McMillan's  influence, 
and  into  the  ministry.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio, 
September  3,  1800;  ordained  by  the  same,  March  3,  1802;  and  in- 
stalled as  pastor  of  the  congregations  of  Moorfield  and  Neshannock. 
He  died  November  20,  1857,  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  a  large  robust  man,  able  and  willing  to  work.  He  had  one 
son,  Meade,  in  the  ministry,  who  died  before  his  father. 

William  Wylie,  D.D., 

was  the  last  of  the  original  members  of  the  Presbytery  of  Erie.  He 
was  born  in  Washington  county.  Pa.,  July  10,  1776.  He  studied 
for  a  time  with  Thaddeus  Dodd,  also  at  Canonsburg,  and  of  course 
with  Dr.  McMillan.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  West 
Lexington,  and  by  that  body  transferred  to  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio, 
by  which  he  was  ordained,  March  5,  1802,  and  installed  pastor  of 
the  Churches  of  Upper  Sandy  and  Lower  Sandy,  now  Georgetown 
and  Utica,  the  former  in  Mercer,  the  latter  in  Venango  county.  Pa. 
He  died  May  9,  1858,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Wylie  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  power  as  a  preacher. 
He  was  tall  in  stature,  social,  cheerful,  and  hopeful. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  Presbytery  there  were  ordained  and 
installed  two  brothers,  John  and  Abraham  Boyd,  the  former  as  pas- 
tor of  Union  and  Slate  Lick,  the  latter  of  Bull  Creek  and  Middlesex, 


PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


all  in  Armstrong  county,  Pa.     Then  ordinations  were  accompanied 
by  "  fasting,"  as  well  as  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of  hands. 

This  record  brings  us  to  the  organization  of  the  first  Synod  in 
the  West. 


HARDSHIPS. 


The  church  was  not  planted  here  amid  beds  of  roses.  Her  early 
progress  was  not  like  that  of  Cleopatra  down  the  Nile  with  gilded 
barge  and  silken  sails  and  cordage,  to  the  sound  of  flutes  and  harps 
aeolian.  The  times  were  propitious,  but  full  of  hardships  and 
difficulties.  The  virgin  soil  must  be  brought  to  the  sunlight.  Toil 
and  danger  must  be  encountered.  Good  hard  work  must  be  laid 
out  in  building  the  walls  and  setting  up  the  gates  of  Zion.  The  first 
ministers  came  across  the  mountains  on  horse-back,  bringing  their 
household  gods  with  them.  They  struggled  with  the  first  settlers, 
in  the  toils  of  the  field,  in  the  defence  against  savages,  in  the  pri- 
vation that  must  attend  the  early  days  of  settling  a  new  country. 

And  these  hardships  continued  as  the  settlements  were  pushed 
northward  toward  the  lakes,  and  westward  beyond  the  Ohio. 
Hunters'  paths  were  to  be  followed,  rivers  without  bridges  were  to 
be  crossed,  the  Gospel  was  to  be  preached  in  the  shadows  of  the 
forest,  in  the  log  cabins  of  the  settlers,  wherever  and  whenever  the 
way  should  be  opened. 

When  John  McMillan  first  entered  his  cabin  in  Washington 
county,  he  had  two  boxes  placed  one  on  the  other  for  a  table,  and 
two  kegs  for  seats  for  himself  and  wife.  For  weeks  together  he  had 
no  bread,  but  plenty  of  pumpkins  and  potatoes,  and  was  satisfied. 

In  the  year  1 789,  the  Church  of  Fairfield,  Redstone  Presbytery, 
promised  their  minister  his  salary  in  money  or  grain,  at  the  follow- 
ing prices :  "  Wheat  at  four  shillings  the  bushel,  rye  or  corn  at  two 
shillings  and  sixpence  per  bushel." 

A  notable  instance  of  poverty  and  enterprise  alike,  occurred  in 
the  days  of  Joseph  Smith's  pastorate  at  Cross  Creek  and  Upper 
Buffalo.  The  minister  had  purchased  a  farm,  but  he  was  in  debt 
for  it.  His  salary  was  unpaid.  Grain  was  plenty,  but  money  was 
scarce.  Wheat  would  not  bring  over  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per 
bushel.     The  minister  was  notified  that  he  must  pay  for  his  land  or 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


leave  it.  Three  years'  salary  were  now  due.  If  Mr.  Smith  left  his 
farm,  he  must  abandon  his  churches.  The  people  could  not  raise 
the  money.  They  could  not  borrow.  They  came  together,  and 
sought  God's  counsel.  They  could  furnish  any  quantity  of  wheat. 
Mr.  Moore,  the  miller,  would  grind  the  wheat.  They  resolved  to 
bring  their  wheat,  turn  it  into  flour,  and  send  it  to  New  Orleans  to 
market.  The  wheat  was  brought  on  the  backs  of  horses  from  two  to 
twenty-six  miles'  distance,  from  all  over  the  country.  A  flat  boat 
was  built.  The  flour  was  placed  on  board.  Who  would  undertake 
the  charge  of  running  it  down  the  river,  amid  the  danger  of  wreck, 
and  robbers,  and  savages  ? 

An  old  elder,  William  Smiley,  sixty-four  years  of  age,  arises  and 
says :  "Here  am  I,  send  me."  Two  young  men  volunteer  to  go  as 
his  assistants.  All  the  congregation  assembles  to  see  the  party  set 
out  on  their  voyage.  The  pastor  gives  out  a  hymn,  then  offers 
prayer ;  the  farewells  are  said,  and  the  boat  is  pushed  out  into  the 
stream. 

More  than  nine  months  pass  away  without  tidings.  There  is 
neither  mail  nor  telegraph,  and  the  birds  brought  no  news.  At 
length  one  Sabbath  morning,  as  the  people  assembled  for  worship, 
they  found  old  father  Smiley,  seated  on  his  rude  bench  before  the 
pulpit,  calm,  devout,  as  though  nothing  notable  had  happened. 

At  the  close  of  the  service,  the  people  were  notified  to  meet  early 
the  following  week,  to  hear  the  report  of  the  trading  party.  All 
were  present  on  Monday.  In  brief  speech,  after  thanks  had  been 
offered  for  the  safe  return,  the  old  elder  reported  that  all  had  gone 
well.  They  had  reached  New  Orleans  safely,  and  sold  their  flour 
for  twenty-seven  dollars  per  barrel.  He  then  poured  the  proceeds 
upon  the  table,  a  larger  heap  of  gold  than  any  of  them  had  ever 
seen  before. 

The  young  men  were  paid  one  hundred  dollars  each.  Father 
Smiley  was  asked  his  charge.  He  replied  that  he  ought  to  receive 
as  much  as  the  young  men,  although  he  had  not  worked  as  hard  as 
they,  but  would  take  nothing  until  the  minister  was  paid.  The 
back  salary  was  paid,  with  one  year  in  advance.  Elder  Smiley 
received  three  hundred  dollars,  and  a  large  dividend  remained  to 
those-who  had  furnished  the  flour. 

There  were  hardships  of  various  kinds.     For  many  years  danger 


222  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

was  apprehended  from  the  Indians.  The  men  brought  their  rifles 
to  the  church  on  the  Sabbath,  and  occasionally  some  of  the  younger 
men  were  detailed  to  skirmish  in  the  woods  during  the  time  of 
service.  Some  of  the  ministers  themselves,  during  these  dangerous 
times,  carried  their  rifles  to  church,  and  set  them  in  the  pulpit  whilst 
they  were  preaching. 

It  was  through  many  tribulations,  extending  over  a  period  of  half 
a  century,  that  the  churches  were  planted,  nurtured,  and  grew  strong 
in  the  region  covered  by  these  Synods. 


PSALMODY. 

It  is  interesting  to  inquire  into  the  principles  and  practice  of  the 
early  Western  Church  on  the  question  of  Psalmody.  There  is  noth- 
ing on  record  by  the  Western  Presbyteries  or  Synods  to  afford  light 
on  the  subject.  But  the  action  of  the  parent  Synod  is  important. 
An  overture  was  brought  into  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadel- 
phia, in  1763,  as  to  the  propriety  of  singing  "Dr.  Watts'  imitation 
of  David's  Psalms."  No  specific  answer  was  given,  although  the 
Synod  declared  that  it  had  "no  objection  to  the  use  of  said  imita- 
tion by  such  ministers  and  congregations  as  incline  to  use  it,  until 
the  matter  of  Psalmody  be  further  considered."  The  matter  passed 
along  with  some  attention  until  1787,  when  the  following  action  was 
taken  :  "The  Synod  did  allow,  and  hereby  do  allow,  that  Dr.  Watts' 
imitation  of  David's  Psalms,  as  revised  by  Mr.  Barlow,  be  sung  in 
the  churches  and  families  under  their  care." 

They  further  declared  that  "they  are  far  from  disapproving  of 
Rouse's  Version,  commonly  called  the  Old  Psalms,  in  those  who 
were  in  the  use  of  them,  and  chose  them;"  discouraged  harsh  and 
imchristian  censures  on  either  side,  and  exhorted  "to  be  more  ten- 
der and  charitable  on  these  heads."  At  this  meeting  of  Synod 
tlie  Presbytery  of  Redstone  was  represented  by  Findley,  McMillan, 
Power,  and  Barr,  and  this  action  no  doubt  reflected  their  sentiments. 

The  practice  of  the  fathers  most  probably  corresponded  to  this 
action.  At  the  first  the  probabilities  are  that  Rouse's  Version  was 
generally  used,  though  in  some  congregations  Watts'  was  used  from 
rhe  first.     In  the  congregations  of  Mr.  Dodd,  at  Upper  and  Lower 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  22 j 

Ten  Mile,  Watts'  was  used  from  the  beginning.  This  was  the  case 
in  other  congregations. 

But  there  were  other  ministers  and  congregations  where  Rouse 
was  the  only  acknowledged  Psalmody.  Sometimes  a  compromise 
was  made.  The  service  was  commenced  with  an  Old  Psalm,  and 
concluded  with  Watts.  One  of  the  old  ministers  used  Watts'  in  his 
family,  and  at  prayer  meetings,  until  the  way  was  opened  for  its  use 
in  the  church.  Still,  on  the  first  occasion  of  giving  out  a  Psalm 
from  the  new  book,  an  irate  Milesian  was  so  sorely  grieved  with  the 
impropriety  of  the  proceeding,  that  he  started  from  his  seat,  ap- 
proached the  pulpit,  and  threatened  to  drag  the  minister  down  by 
the  neck. 

Good  old  Samuel  Porter  was  sorely  troubled  over  the  matter.  He 
could  not  think  of  using  anything  but  Rouse.  Yet  on  one  occasion, 
hearing  a  strange  congregation  singing  the  hymn. 

Let  those  refuse  to  sing, 
Who  never  knew  our  God, 

his  warmth  and  ardor  overcame  his  scruples,  and  he  joined  in  with 
them,  declaring  that  if  his  conscience  would  not  allow  him  to  sing 
such  words  he  would  wring  its  neck. 

Apart  from  the  matter  of  conscience,  there  was  little  difficulty  in 
introducing  the  new  hymnology,  as  books  were  not  generally  ne- 
cessary. The  Psalm  or  Hymn  was  always  lined  out.  Sometimes 
one  line  was  given  out  at  a  time,  and  sometimes  two.  This  was 
done  by  the  clerk  or  leader  of  the  music. 

This  clerk  was  an  important  officer,  and  in  dignity  and  importance 
second  only  to  the  minister  himself.  He  occupied  an  elevated  seat 
just  under  the  pulpit,  and  when  the  Psalm  was  announced,  arose 
and  gave  out  the  lines  in  a  curious,  half-singing  tone,  managing 
to  close  on  the  precise  key  on  which  the  tune  was  to  be  commenced. 

The  singing  was  primitive.  At  the  first,  all  sang  a  single  part, 
called  the  "air."  Gradually  other  parts  were  introduced — the 
"trible,"  the  "counter,"  as  they  were  called,  and  the  bass. 

The  tunes  were  not  numerous ;  they  could  easily  be  acquired. 
They  were  known  as  "The  twelve  tunes  of  David."  Sometimes 
the  clerk  had  the  notes  of  them  copied  in  "  buckwheat  characters," 
on  the  fly-leaves  of  his  Psalm-book,  and  referred  to  them  surrep- 


224  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

titiously,  as  the  minister  did  to  the  notes  hidden  away  in  his  pocket 
Bible. 

But  the  spirit  of  change  came.  Emigrants  from  New  England 
passed  through  the  settlements,  on  their  way  to  Ohio,  some  of  whom 
spent  the  winter.  Some  of  these  Eastern  men  were  musicians,  and 
introduced  new  tunes ;  especially  a  wonderful  variety  of  tune  called 
the  "Fugue."  A  peculiarity  of  these  fugue  tunes  was,  that  after 
the  four  parts  had  passed  together  over  the  first  two  lines  of  the 
stanza,  they  separated,  leading  off  one  after  the  other,  each  singing 
for  itself,  yet  managing  to  come  out  together  at  the  close.  These 
fancy  tunes  became  immensely  popular. 

A  favorite  amongst  them  was  "Sherburne,"  usually  sung  to  the 
Christmas  Hymn : 

"  While  shepherds  watched  their  flocks  by  night, 
All  seated  on  the  ground, 
The  angel  of  the  Lord  came  down, 
And  glory  shone  around." 

After  singing  the  first  two  lines  in  the  ordinarily  staid  manner, 
the  air  would  lead  off,  "The  angel  of  the  Lord;"  the  counter 
would  then  take  up  the  same  line  ;  when  it  had  advanced  the  same 
distance,  the  tenor  would  strike  in ;  then  the  bass ;  until  the  hearer 
would  be  ready  to  suppose  that  all  the  angels  on  the  plain  of  Beth- 
lehem were  singing,  each  on  his  own  account,  with  the  prospect  of 
being  involved  in  inextricable  confusion.  Yet  by  judicious  repeat- 
ing on  the  part  of  those  in  advance,  and  hastening  of  those  in  the 
rear,  the  parts  all  managed  to  come  out  exactly  together.  It  was  a 
wonderful  feat,  however. 

In  process  of  time,  as  books  multiplied  and  became  common,  the 
matter  of  singing  without  lining  out  became  important.  In  many 
places  the  prejudices  of  the  people  were  as  strongly  aroused  against 
this  as  against  a  New  Testament  Psalmody.  They  had  become  so 
accustomed  to  lining  out  as  to  imagine  that  this  was  really  a  part  of 
divine  worship. 

Gradually,  however,  the  change  was  made,  that  was  eventually  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  great  majority  of  the  worshipers.  These 
changes,  however — first,  the  adoption  of  the  hymns  of  Watts,  then 
the  dispensing  with  lining  out — resulted  in  the  removal  of  many  from 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  225 

the  Presbyterian  Church,  who  preferred  to  go  to  other  bodies, 
where  the  old  system  of  Psalmody  was  in  use. 

The  clerk  had  duties  of  another  kind  to  perform.  These  were 
somewhat  delicate  in  their  nature,  yet  always  discharged  with 
dignity  and  firmness.  This  was  the  public  proclamation  of  the 
bans  of  matrimony  in  the  church,  on  three  consecutive  Sabbaths. 
It  was  done  in  this  form:  "There  is  a  purpose  of  matrimony  be- 
tween John  Smith  and  Hannah  Brown,  of  which  this  is  the  first 
publication."  The  following  Sabbath  the  formula  was  changed  to 
the  second,  and  then  the  third  publication,  when  it  was  supposed  to 
be  proper  for  the  marriage  ceremony  to  take  place. 

Sometimes,  during  these  publications,  there  was  a  visible  smile 
among  the  younger  members  of  the  congregation,  but  the  whole 
thing  usually  passed  off  with  sobriety  and  decorum. 


CHURCH   EDIFICES. 

The  early  church  edifices  were  like  the  dwellings  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, extremely  rude  and  simple.  The  houses  were  log  cabins,  the 
churches  log  cabins  of  larger  size.  Many  instances  are  recorded 
where  churches  were  built  in  a  single  day,  and  without  the  outlay 
of  a  dollar.  The  first  church  building  erected  in  Pittsburgh,  was  in 
1786,  of  squared  timber;  but  this  was  in  the  city,  where  style  had 
begun  to  manifest  itself.  In  the  country  the  plan  was  less  preten- 
tious. Trees  were  felled  of  the  proper  size,  cut  to  the  desired 
length,  notched  at  the  corners,  and  laid  up  log  upon  log  to  the  de- 
sired height.  For  the  gable  ends,  the  ends  of  the  logs  were  sloped 
off,  to  give  the  proper  inclination  to  the  roof,  and  logs  placed  across 
to  receive  the  clapboards.  Then  clapboards  were  split  out  of 
straight  oak,  placed  in  order  on  these  logs,  and  kept  in  place  by 
weight  poles.  The  door  and  windows  were  then  cut  out,  the  floor 
laid  with  puncheons  split  from  straight  logs,  the  door  made  from 
the  same,  with  wooden  hinges  and  pins,  and  the  windows  filled  with 
oiled  linen  or  paper.  The  seats  were  logs,  split  and  elevated  on 
wooden  legs;  the  pulpit  was  arranged,  and  all  was  ready  for  wor- 
ship. 

In  the  Erie  Presbytery,   in  Cool   Spring  congregation,  such  a 


2z6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

church  was  built  and  fully  completed  between  sunrise  and  sunset 
of  a  single  day.  In  this  case,  the  stump  of  a  large  tree  was  selected 
as  the  pulpit,  and  the  church  built  around  it.  Two  upright  pun- 
cheons, with  a  third  across  them,  were  arranged  as  a  breast  work 
and  support  for  the  Bible.  The  minister's  seat  was  arranged  on  the 
other  side  of  the  stump,  with  the  wall  of  the  church  for  his  support. 
In  some  cases  neither  nail  nor  bit  of  sawed  lumber  was  employed. 

Where  larger  buildings  were  desired,  the  cruciform  style  was 
adopted.  Such  a  building  really  had  twelve  sides  and  the  same 
number  of  angles.  There  was  nothing  symbolical  in  these  sides  and 
angles.  It  was  merely  a  matter  of  convenience  and  strength.  The 
pulpit  occupied  the  choir,  and  the  congregation  the  nave  and  tran- 
septs. The  style  of  house  that  succeeded  this  was  a  building  of 
hewn  logs,  with  glass  windows  and  permanent  seats. 

In  these  primeval  days,  no  provision  was  made  for  heating  the 
churches.  During  the  severest  weather  in  winter,  the  people  came, 
sat  during  the  two  long  services,  eating  their  biscuits,  and  shaking 
hands  with  the  minister  during  the  recess,  and  then  returned  to  their 
homes.  Occasionally  an  old  foot  stove,  that  had  done  duty  in  New 
England,  was  filled  with  coals  and  brought  to  church.  But  this  was 
thought  to  be  effeminate,  and  none  but  the  aged  women  would 
resort  to  it.  In  the  first  church  on  the  Lake  Shore,  an  old  sugar 
kettle  was  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  church,  filled  with  charcoal, 
and  the  coal  kindled,  sending  its  gases  out  with  the  heat,  much  to 
the  discomfiture  of  those  who  approached  too  near. 

But  there  was  a  more  primitive  place  of  worship  than  even  the 
log  cabin.  It  was  the  green  wood  itself.  The  grand  old  forest  trees 
lined  its  aisles,  and  the  blue  canopy  of  heaven  formed  its  dome. 
Even  after  the  days  of  houses  for  worship,  the  forest  sanctuary  was 
used  in  summer  and  on  special  occasions.  A  place  was  selected 
with  the  underbrush  removed.  A  tent,  as  it  was  called,  was  erected 
for  the  ministers.  This  was  simply  a  speaker's  stand,  with  floor 
elevated  some  four  feet  above  the  ground,  with  breastwork  in  front, 
and  seat  in  the  rear.'  Far  out  from  this,  amid  the  forest  trees,  seats 
were  erected  of  round  logs,  having  convenient  aisles,  the  ground 
ascending  gently  so  as  to  command  a  view  of  the  tent. 

Such  places  were  specially  popular  and  desirable  for  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  Lord's  Supper.     At  such  times  several  of  the  neighboring 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  ssf 

congregations  joined,  and  the  meeting  was  kept  up  for  several 
days. 

But  even  in  such  places  the  cold  and  snow  were  not  insuperable 
difficulties  in  the  way.  At  a  sacrament  held  in  the  woods  in  Scrub- 
grass  Congregation,  in  -1803,  snow  fell  on  Sabbath  night,  but  the 
people  came  together,  brushed  the  snow  from  the  seats,  and  sat  con- 
tentedly, listening  to  the  Word.  To  this  meeting  many  persons 
came  from  a  distance  of  thirty  miles. 

When  Cephas  Dodd  was  installed  at  Ten  Mile,  the  same  year,  the 
services  were  held  in  Joseph  Riggs'  sugar  camp.  The  snow  lay 
thickly  on  the  ground,  and  the  wind  whistled  through  the  leafless 
trees,  but  the  voices  of  the  speakers  and  singers  were  heard  above 
all  other  sounds,  and  the  people  remained  quietly  until  the  solemn 
services  were  over. 

In  those  early  days  the  services  were  usually  tedious ;  two  long  ser- 
mons, with  the  Psalms  lined  out  previous  to  singing,  necessarily  con- 
sumed much  time.  There  were  no  bells  to  summon  the  people.  On 
Sabbath  morning,  for  the  space  of  an  hour,  they  would  be  assembling, 
on  horseback  and  on  foot.  Horses  were  tethered  to  trees.  Women 
who  had  walked  bare-footed,  sat  down  on  logs  and  put  on  their 
shoes  as  they  came  in  "sight  of  the  meeting  house.  Those  who  came 
early  sat  down  in  the  shade  and  awaited  the  time  of  service.  At  the 
proper  time  the  minister  was  seen  slowly  entering  the  church,  when 
the  congregation,  as  though  by  a  common  impulse,  followed  him, 
and  the  service  commenced. 

The  sacrament  was  the  great  occasion.  It  was  announced  through 
the  entire  region  of  country.  The  services  commenced  on  Thurs- 
day. This  was  called  the  "  fast  day,"  and  observed  as  the  Sabbath. 
Then  on  Saturday,  the  session  met  to  receive  candidates.  All  the 
communicants  then  received  "tokens,"  entitling  them  to  the  privi- 
lege of  communing  on  the  following  day.  These  "tokens"  were 
simple  bits  of  lead  with  the  initial  letters  of  the  name  of  the  congre- 
gation upon  them,  and  were  distributed  by  the  pastor  and  elders  to 
all  who  expected  to  join  in  communion.  For  the  accommodation 
of  strangers  an  elder  was  usually  stationed  near  the  door,  or  tent,  on 
Sabbath  morning,  with  tokens  in  his  hand. 

On  Sabbath  morning  the  congregation  was  usually  very  large.  On 
such  occasions  several  ministers  were  expected  to  be  present.    The 


228  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


"action"  sermon,  as  it  was  called,  was  usually  preached  by  the  pas 
tor.     Then  followed  a  process  called  "fencing  the  tables."     This 
was  a  tedious  review  of  all  the  sins  forbidden  in  the  Ten  Command- 
ments, and,  by  inference  at  least,  forbidding  all  from  coming  to  the 
table  who  had  committed  any  of  these  sins. 

In  those  days  literal  tables  were  always  present.  Sometimes  there 
were  accommodations  for  all  present  to  partake  at  once  ;  if  not,  there 
were  two  or  more  tables,  just  as  circumstances  might  require. 

After  the  long  services  of  Sabbath,  the  meeting  was  usually  con- 
cluded on  Monday.  It  was  common  for  persons  from  a  distance  to 
spend  the  evenings  of  Saturday  and  Sabbath  in  the  congregation, 
and  many  a  house  in  near  proximity  to  the  church  was  literally 
packed  with  guests ;  and  these  guests  expected  to  act  the  part  of 
hosts  to  their  entertainers  on  some  similar  occasion. 

Wonderful  stories  have  come  down  to  us  of  the  power  and  elo- 
quence of  the  old  ministers,  on  some  of  these  occasions.  But  the 
circumstances  of  the  times  must  be  taken  into  consideration.  There 
were  thinking  people  in  the  congregations,  but  their  information  was 
limited,  and  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  were  most  eagerly  sought  and 
attentively  received. 


SYNOD   OF   PITTSBURGH. 

The  first  Synod  in '  the  West  was  erected  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly, in  May,  1802.  The  act  recites  "  that  the  Presbyteries  of  Red- 
stone, Ohio,  and  Erie,  be  constituted  a  Synod,  to  be  known  by  the 
name  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  and  that  they  hold  their  first  meet- 
ing in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  Pittsburgh,  on  the  last  Wednes- 
day of  September  next."  The  Synod  met  on  the  29th  of  September, 
1802,  and  was  opened  with  a  sermon  by  Rev.  John  McMillan. 
There  were  present  twenty-nine  ministers  and  sixteen  elders. 
Seven  ministers  were  absent.  Rev.  Jacob  Jennings  was  elected 
moderator,  and  James  Hughes  and  David  Smith,  clerks. 

At  this  first  meeting,  the  Presbyteries  made  the  following  report : 

The  Presbytery  of  Redstone  consists  of  eleven  ordained  ministers : 

James  Power,  pastor  of  Mt.  Pleasant;  Joseph  Henderson,  pastor 

of  Ebenezer,  and  Black  Lick ;  James  Dunlap,  pastor  of  Laurel  Hill ; 

'  Jacob  Jennings,  pastor  of  Dunlap's  Creek  and  Little  Redstone ; 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  22g 

John  McPherrin,  pastor  of  Salem;  Samuel  Porter,  pastor  of  Con- 
gruity ;  George  Hill,  pastor  of  Fairfield  and  Donegal ;  Wm.  Swan, 
pastor  of  Long  Run  and  Sewickley ;  David  Smith,  pastor  of  Round 
Hill  and  Rehoboth  \  James  Adams,  pastor  of  George's  Creek  and 
Union  ;  Francis  Laird,  pastor  of  Poke  Run  and  Plum  Creek. 

Vacant  congregations,  able  to  support  a  minister :  Pittsburgh, 
Greensburgh  and  Unity,  Pitt  Township  and  McKeesport,  Mor- 
gantown  and  Middletown.  Unable  :  New  Providence,  Uniontown, 
Tyrone,  Sandy  Creek,  Crossings,  Clarksburgh,  Tygert's  Valley, 
Somerset,  Turkey  Foot,  Wheatfield,  and  Stony  Creek. 

The  Presbytery  of  Ohio  reported  that  they  consisted  of  sixteen 
ordained  ministers  :  John  McMillan,  pastor  of  Chartiers ;  Joseph 
Patterson,  pastor  of  Raccoon;  James  Hughes,  pastor  of  Lower 
Buffalo  and  Short  Creek ;  John  Brice,  pastor  of  Three  Ridges  and 
Wheeling ;  Thomas  Marquis,  pastor  of  Cross  Creek ;  Thomas 
Moore,  pastor  of  Ten  Mile  ;  Samuel  Ralston,  pastor  of  Horseshoe 
Bottom  and  Mingo  Creek ;  Wm.  Woods,  pastor  of  Bethel  and 
Lebanon  ;  George  M.  Scott,  pastor  of  Mill  Creek  and  the  Flats ;  John 
Anderson,  pastor  of  Upper  Buffalo  ;  Andrew  'Guinn,  pastor  of 
Pigeon  Creek  and  Poke  Run ;  John  Watson,  pastor  of  Miller's  Run  ; 
Joseph  Anderson,  pastor  of  Richland  and  Short  Creek ;  John  Mc- 
Clane,  pastor  of  Montours ;  Elisha  Macurdy,  pastor  of  Cross 
Roads  and  Three  Springs ;  James  Snodgrass,  pastor  of  Steubenville 
and  Island  Creek. 

Vacant  congregations,  able  to  support  a  minister :  Washington, 
New  Lancaster,  and  Rush  Creek.  Not  yet  able  :  Jefferson,  Waynes- 
burg,  Charleston,  Grave  Creek,  Yellow  Creek,  and  Long  Run. 

The  Presbytery  of  Erie  reported  that  they  consisted  of  nine  or- 
dained ministers  :  Thomas  Edgar  Hughes,  pastor  of  Mount  Pleasant 
and  New  Salem ;  William  Wick,  pastor  of  Hopewell  and  Youngs- 
town;  Samuel  Tait,  pastor  of  Mercer  and  Upper  Salem;  Joseph 
Stockton,  pastor  of  Meadville  and  Sugar  Creek ;  Robert  Lee,  pas- 
tor of  Amity  and  Big  Spring ;  James  Satterfield,  pastor  of  Moor- 
field  and  Upper  Neshannock :  William  Wylie,  pastor  of  Fairfield, 
Upper  and  Lower  Sandy ;  John  Boyd,  pastor  of  Union  and  Slate 
Lick ;  Abraham  Boyd,  pastor  of  Bull  Creek  and  Middlesex. 

Vacancies,  able  to  support  a  minister :  Slippery  Rock  and  Lower 
Neshannock,  Westfield  and  Poland,  Upper  and  Lower  Greenfield, 


sjo  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


Scnibgrass  and  Bear  Crefek.  Unable  to  support  a  minister :  War- 
ren, Breakneck,  Thorn's  Tent,  Franklin,  Concord,  Big  Sugar  Creek, 
Oil  Creek,  Gravel  Run,  Middlebrook,  Power's  Mills,  Crossings  of 
Cussawaga,  and  Pymatuning. 

Two  important  matters  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Synod  at  its 
first  meeting — the  organization  of  the  "Western  Missionary  So- 
ciety," and  the  establishment  of  a  magazine.  For  the  latter  no  less 
than  twelve  editors  were  appointed.  The  magazine  was  established, 
and  continued  in  existence  several  years.  It  was  called  The 
Western  Missionary  Magazine,  and  was  the  repository  of  much 
valuable  matter  pertaining  to  the  missionary  work  of  the  Synod. 
In  1807  the  editors  reported  that  the  profits  of  the  magazine  had 
amounted  to  ^334.32. 

In  1808  two  new  Presbyteries  were  erected — Hartford  (after- 
wards changed  to  Beaver)  and  Lancaster,  in  Ohio.  The  former  was 
arranged  with  the  following  boundaries  :  "  Beginning  at  the  mouth 
of  Big  Beaver  Creek ;  thence  up  said  Creek  and  up  Neshannock  to 
the  mouth  of  Little  Branch;  thence  northerly  to  the  mouth  of 
Walnut  Creek,  on. Lake  Erie;  thence  along  the  lake  to  the  west 
line  of  New  Connecticut ;  thence  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
Connecticut  Reserve ;  thence  east  along  the  South  line  of  the  Con- 
necticut reserve  to  the  Tuscarawas  branch  of  the  Muskingum  river ; 
thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  Ohio  river  at  the  mouth  of  Yellow 
creek;  thence  up  the  Ohio  river  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

At  the  next  meeting  of  Synod  the  new  Presbytery  reported  as 
follows  :  Thomas  Edgar  Hughes  at  Mount  Pleasant ;  William  Wick 
at  Hopewell  and  Youngstown,  Ohio  ;  James  Satterfield  at  Moorfield 
and  Neshannock ;  Nicholas  Pittinger  at  Poland,  Ohio ;  Benjamin 
Boyd  at  Beulah,  Trumbull,  and  Pymatuning  ;  Clement  Vallanding- 
ham  at  New  Lisbon  and  Long's  Run  ;  Johnston  Eaton  at  Fairview 
and  Springfield  ;  James  Boyd  at  Warren  and  Newton,  Ohio ;  Joseph 
Badger,  Jonathan  Leslie,  and  Joshua  Beer,  without  charge. 

Vacant  congregations,  able  to  support  a  minister :  Vernon, 
Vienna,  Brookfield,  Hubbardville,  and  Richfield. 

Unable  to  support  a  minister :  Salem,  Beavertown,  Cleveland, 
Hudson,  Tallmage,  Springfield,  Burton,  Canfield,  Westfield,  and 
Newcastle. 

Three  of  these  ministers  had  been  added  since  the  Presbytery 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  2J/ 


was  erected,  viz.,  Messrs.  Leslie,  Beer,  and  James  Boyd.  This 
last  was  one  of  a  ministerial  family ;  no  less  than  four  of  the 
brothers  were  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  and  all  did  good  service  in 
the  work  to  which  they  were  called. 

Robert  Patterson 

was  one  of  the  early  ministers  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie.  He  was 
ordained  on  the  ist  day  of  September,  1803,  and  did  good  service 
in  that  new  region.  The  field  was  new  and  promising,  and  he 
accomplished  much,  both  as  a  pastor  and  missionary.  He  was 
bom  at  Stillwater,  N.  Y.,  April  i,  1773;  died  near  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  September  5,  1854.     He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Joseph  Patterson. 

Johnston  Eaton 

was  settled  on  the  Lake  Shore,  at  Fairview  and  Springfield.  Of  the 
former  charge  he  was  pastor  from  1808  to  his  death,  June  17,  1847, 
He  was  stated  supply  of  the  First  Church,  Erie,  for  five  years.  Born 
at  Frankhn  county.  Pa.,  February  7,  1776;  graduated  at  Jefferson 
College,  1802  ;  licensed  by  Ohio  Presbytery,  August  22,  1805  ;  or- 
dained June  30,  1808. 

Clement  Vallandingham 
was  born  in  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  March  7,  1778;  graduated  at 
Jefferson  College  in  1808  ;  studied  with  Dr.  McMillan;  licensed  by 
Ohio  Presbytery,  June  25,  1806;  ordained  and  installed  as  pastor 
at  New  Lisbon,  Ohio,  June  24,  1807.  He  was  pastor  there  until  his 
death,  October  21,  1839. 

Robert  Johnston 
was  of  English  extraction,  being  a  lineal  descendant  of  Oliver  Crom- 
well; born  August  7,  1774;  educated  at  Canonsburg  Academy 
and  Dr.  McMillan's  log  cabin  ;  licensed  by  Ohio  Presbytery,  April 
22,  1802  ;  ordained  by  Erie  Presbytery,  October  19,  1803,  and 
settled  at  Scrubgrass,  Venango  county,  Pa.  In  181 1  removed  to 
Meadville,  Pa.,  until  181 7  ;  at  Round  Hill  and  Rehoboth  until  1822  ; 
at  Bethel  ten  years.  He  died  May  20,  1861,  in  the  eighty-seventh 
year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Johnston  was  a  successful  pastor  and  an 
ardent  christian.  He  was  the  father  of  Rev.  J.  W.  Johnston,  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Shenango. 


^2  presbyterian  centennial  convention. 

Philip  Jackson 
the  famous  "  praying  elder  "  of  Elisha  Macurdy,  did  good  service 
in  tlie  church.     He  accompanied  Macurdy  on  some  of  his  preaching 
tours  as  far  as  Lake  Erie.     (See  Religious  History,  p.  57.) 

Joseph  Smith 
was  another  elder  who  might  have  received  the  same  cognomen,  for 
he  was  .a  mighty  man  of  prayer.  He  was  one  of  Mr.  Tail's  elders 
at  Mercer,  Pa.  When  over  forty  years  of  age,  a  plain  mechanic, 
and  with  little  assistance,  he  learned  the  Hebrew  language,  so  as 
to  use  the  Hebrew  Bible  for  his  devotional  reading  for  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  He  was  the  father  of  Rev.  Jos.  T.  Smith,  D.D.,  of 
Baltimore.  « 


Presbytery  of  Lancaster. 

The  Presbytery  of  Lancaster  was  erected  with  the  following 
boundaries  :  "  On  the  West  by  the  line  of  the  Kentucky  Synod,  on 
the  South  by  the  Ohio  river,  on  the  East  and  North  by  the  West 
line  of  the  seven  ranges,  and  the  line  of  the  Hartford  Presbytery ; 
including  Rev.  Messrs.  Stephen  Lindley,  Jacob  Lindley,  John 
Wright,  James  Robinson,  and  James  Scott.  They  were  to  meet  at 
Lancaster,  Ohio,  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  April,  1809.  Stephen 
Lindley  was  to  preside.  In  1810  they  reported  two  additional 
ministers — George  Vaneman  and  William  Jones,  with  sixteen  con- 
gregations. 

In  the  older  presbyteries  a  number  of  valuable  ministers  had 
entered  on  the  Lord's  work.  New  congregations  were  organized; 
the  older  settlements,  and  the  tide  of  emigration  was  setting 
strongly  in  the  direction  of  Lake  Erie  and  Central  Ohio.  Much 
prosperity  attended  the  labor  of  pastors  in  their  own  immediate 
fields,  and  also  in  the  missionary  work  in  which  they  were  largely 
engaged  in  the  regions  beyond. 


Pittsburgh. 
Pittsburgh,  the  great  centre  of  influence  in  the  region  we  are  con- 
sidering, was  not  at  the  first  the  most  promising  field  of  labor.     After 
Mr.  Beatty's  visits  in  1758  and  1766,  Mr.  Jos.  Smith  was  sent  by  the 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  233 

Presbytery  of  Ohio  to  preach  there  in  August,  1784.  A  {^^n  months 
after  this,  Arthur  Lee,  of  Virginia,  speaks  of  the  place  in  rather  a 
hopeless  way  during  a  visit  there  :  ' '  There  are  in  the  town  four 
attorneys,  two  doctors,  and  not  a  priest  of  any  persuasion,  nor 
church,  nor  chapel ;  so  that  they  are  likely  to  be  damned  without 
the  benefit  of  clergy." 

■  In  1785,  Rev.  Samuel  Barr  came  here  to  preach,  and  was  recog- 
nized by  Presbytery  without  any  formal  installation.  About  the 
same  time  a  church  was  organized,  and  a  small  log-house  erected 
for  a  house  of  worship.  Mr.  Barr  remained  until  June,  1789.  For 
the  next  ten  years  they  were  dependent  on  supplies.  In  June,  1 799, 
Rev.  Robert  Steele,  from  Ireland,  began  to  supply  the  church.  He 
had  many  difficulties.  He  could  not  for  a  time  satisfy  the  Presby- 
tery of  his  fitness  for  the  work,  and  there  were  grave  dissensions 
amongst  the  people.  Finally,  in  1802,  he  was  received  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Presbytery,  and  a  call  placed  in  his  hands  from  the  congre- 
gation of  Pittsburgh,  when,  without  farther  action,  he  was  recognized 
as  pastor.  He  continued  to  labor  with  them  until  his  death,  March 
22,  1810. 
The  next  pastor  was 

Francis  Herron,  D.D. 
He  accepted  the  call  from  the  congregation  in  June,  iSii,  and 
continued  the  pastor  until  1850,  when  at  his  own  request  he  w^is 
released  from  his  pastoral  charge.  His  was  a  very  successful  pas- 
torate. The  gloom  and  discouragement  that  had  prevailed  were 
removed,  and  great  prosperity  followed.  Francis  Herron 
was  born  near  Shippensburg,  Pa.,  June  28,  1774;  graduated  at 
Dickenson  College,  in  1794;  licensed  by  Carlisle  Presbytery,  Oc- 
tober 4,  1797;  ordained  by  the  same,  April  9,  1800,  and  settled  as 
pastor  of  Rocky  Spring  Church.  His  life  work  was  in  Pittsburgh, 
where  his  memory  will  long  be  precious.  He  died  December  6, 
1 860,  aged  eighty-six  years.  The  second  church  was  organized  about 
the  year  1804;  Nathaniel  R.  Snowden  was  pastor  in  1805.  John 
Boggs  became  pastor,  December  3,  1807,  and  was  dismissed  April 
20,  1808.  Thomas  Hunt  succeeded  him,  December  26,  1809;  dis- 
missed, July  I,  1 818.  He  was  succeeded  by  E.  P.  Swift,  D.D.,  in 
November,  1819;  dismissed  March  i,  1833.  Robert  Dunlap  fol- 
lowed, succeeded  by  Rev.  W.  D.  Howard,  D.D. 


234  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


The  church  of  Washington  was  organized  in  1793.  The  first 
pastor  was  Rev.  Matthew  Brown,  D.D.,  from  1805  to  1822.  The 
second  was  Rev.  Obadiah  Jennings,  D.D.,  from  1823  to  1828. 
The  third  was  Rev.  David  Elliott,  D.D.,  from  1829  to  1836.  Then 
followed  Rev.  D.  Deruelle,  Rev.  James  Smith,  D.D.,  Rev.  W.  C. 
Anderson,  D.D.,  Rev.  J.  B.  Pinney,  LL.D.,  the  present  pastor, 
Rev.  J.  I.  Brownson,  D.D.,  who  commenced  his  labors  in  1849. 

In  1 81 4,  the  Synod  of  Ohio  was  erected  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly, detaching  the  Presbytery  of  Lancaster  from  the  Synod  of  Pitts- 
burgh, thus  reducing  its  boundaries. 


Presbytery  of  Grand  River. 

In  the  same  year  a  new  Presbytery  was  erected  from  the  territory 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Hartford,  called  Grand  River,  including  Rev. 
Messrs.  Joseph  Badger,  Jonathan  Leslie,  Giles  H.  Cowles,  and 
Thomas  Barr.  The  new  Presbytery  was  to  meet  at  Euclid,  Ohio, 
and  Joseph  Badger  to  preside.  The  next  year  they  reported  five 
ministers  and  fifteen  churches. 

In  1818  Grand  River  Presbytery  was  divided,  forming  the  Presby- 
tery of  Portage,  embracing  Rev.  Messrs.  Thomas  Barr,  Caleb  Pitkin, 
John  Seward,  Simeon  Woodruff,  Wm.  Hanford,  Joseph  Treat,  and 
Alvin  Coe.  The  new  Presbytery  met  at  Hudson,  Ohio,  on  the 
second  Thursday  of  December,  181 8,  Thomas  Barr  presiding.  The 
next  year  they  reported  eight  ministers,  and  twenty-eight  congre- 
gations. 


Presbytery  of  Steubenville. 

In  1819  two  new  presbyteries  were  erected  from  the- old  territory 
of  Synod. 

It  was  resolved  by  Synod,  that  so  much  of  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio 
as  lies  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  river  Ohio,  including  Rev. 
Messrs.  Lyman  Potter,  Joseph  Anderson,  Abraham  Scott,  James 
Snodgrass,  John  Rhea,  Thomas  Hunt,  Thomas  B.  Clark,  and 
Obadiah  Jennings,  with  their  respective  charges,  be  formed  into  a 
separate  Presbytery,  to  be  known  as  the  Presbytery  of  Steubenville. 
They  were  to  meet  at  Steubenville,  on  the  fourth  Wednesday  of 
October,  1819,  Lyman  Potter  presiding. 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  335 

At  the  next  meeting  of  Synod  they  reported  Lyman  Potter  and 
Abraham  Scott  without  charges  ;  Joseph  Anderson  at  Richland  and 
Short  Creek;  James  Snodgrass  at  Island  Creek;  John  Rhea  at 
Beech  Spring ;  Thomas  Hunt  at  Two  Ridges,  and  Obadiah  Jen- 
nings at  Steubenville. 

.Vacant  congregations,  able  to  support  a  pastor :  Crab  Apple, 
Westport  and  Nottingham ;  unable,  Centre  and  Cadiz. 

Of  these  ministers,  Lyman  Potter  was  advanced  in  years  when 
the  Presbytery  was  organized.  He  was  a  missionary  and  colporteur, 
and  did  good  service  in  this  work.  He  died  May  17,  1827,  in  the 
eightieth  year  of  his  age. 

James  Snodgrass 

began  to  labor  at  Steubenville  and  Island  Creek,  in  1800.  He  left 
that  field  in  1816.     He  was  afterwards  in  Richland  Presbytery. 

John  Rhea,  D.D., 
of  Beech  Spring,  had  the  reputation  amongst  his  brethren  of  being 
an  able  theologian  and  an  effective  preacher.     He  was  grave,  yet 
pleasant  in  manner,  pure  in  heart,  and  earnest  in  life. 

Obadiah  Jennings,  D.D., 

was  born  in  New  Jersey,  December  13,  1778;  educated  at  Canons- 
burg;  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1800;  licensed  to  preach  in  181 6; 
pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Steubenville,  for  six  years ;  pastor  of  the 
Church  of  Washington,  from  1823  to  1828;  pastor  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.     Died,  January  12,  1832. 

Rev.  C.  C.  Beatty,  D.D.,  says,  in  relation  to  Steubenville  Pres- 
bytery :  ' '  There  was  preaching  to  the  settlements  on  this  side  the 
Ohio  River,  by  different  ministers,  as  early  as  1798-9.  The  Lord's 
Supper  was  administered  by  Dr.  McMillan  at  Little  Short  Creek, 
and  by  Rev.  James  Hughes  on  the  River  Hills,  about  five  miles 
north  of  Steubenville.  The  congregations  of  Short  Creek  (after- 
wards Mount  Pleasant),  Richland  (afterwards  St.  Clairsville),  were 
gathered  by  Joseph  Anderson  in  1799,  and  he  continued  their 
pastor  for  nearly  thirty  years." 

Rev.  James  Snodgrass  began  to  preach  at  Steubenville  and 
Island  Creek  in  1800,  continuing  with  the  former  about  fifteen 
years,  and  with  the  latter  nearly  ten  years.     The  congregation  of 


23b  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

Cross  Roads  (afterwards  Crab  Apple)  was  gathered  by  Mr.  Ander- 
son early  in  this  century,  and  Beech  Spring  about  1803,  over  both 
which  Dr.  Rhea  was  settled  in  1804,  and  continued  with  them  as 
pastor  upwards  of  forty  years.  Cedar  Lick  (now  Two  Ridges) 
was  established  by  Mr.  Snodgrass,  who  ministered  to  it  one  fifth  of 
his  time.  A  few  years  subsequently,  it  and  Richmond  (now 
Bacon's  Ridge)  came  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Wm.  McMil- 
lan. These  were  the  first  charges  on  the  western  side  of  the  Ohio 
River,  in  what  is  now  Steubenville  Presbytery. 

Washington. 

The  Presbytery  of  Washington  was  to  include  so  much  f  the 
Presbytery  of  Ohio  as  lay  between  the  Ohio  River  and  the  road 
leading  from  Georgetown  to  Washington  and  Waynesburgh,  thence 
South  to  the  boundary  line  of  Synod,  including  Rev.  Messrs. 
Thomas  Marquis,  Geo.  M.  Scott,  Elisha  Macurdy,  John  Anderson, 
Cephas  Dodd,  Joseph  Stephenson,  James  Hervey,  Andrew  Wylie, 
and  Thomas  Hoge,  with  their  respective  charges.  They  were  to 
meet  at  Three  Ridges  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  October,  Thomas 
Marquis  presiding.  At  the  following  meeting  of  Synod  they 
reported  ten  ministers  and  nineteen  churches :  Thomas  Marquis 
at  Cross  Creek,  George  M.  Scott  at  Millcreek  and  Flats,  John 
Anderson  at  Upper  Buffalo,  Elisha  Macurdy  at  Cross  Roads  and 
Three  Springs,  Cephas  Dodd  at  Lower  Ten  Mile,  Joseph  Steven- 
son at  Three  Ridges,  James  Hervey  at  Forks  of  Wheeling  and 
Wheelingtown,  Jacob  Cozad  at  Lower  Buffalo,  and  Andrew  Wylie, 
President  of  Washington  College. 

Vacant  churches :  Upper  Ten  Mile,  West  Liberty,  Unity, 
Charleston  and  Waynesburgh. 

Joseph  Stevenson 
was  born  near  Harper's  Ferry,  March  25,  1779  ;  studied  at  Jeffer- 
son College,  and  with  Thomas  Marquis ;  licensed  by  Washington 
Presbytery,  October  18,  1808;  ordained  by  the  same,  June,  1809, 
and  settled  as  pastor  of  Two  Ridges  and  Forks  of  Wheeling,  until 
1825;  removed  to  Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  where  he  labored  until  set 
aside  by  infirmity.  He  died  February  24,  1865,  in  the  eighty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Jno.  M.  Stevenson, 
of  the  American  Tract  Society. 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  237 

James  Hervey,  D.D., 
was  born  in  Brooke  county,  Va.,  August  13,  1782;  graduated  at 
Jefferson ;  licensed  by  the  Ohio  Presbytery,  and  ordained  and 
settled  as  pastor  of  Forks  of  Wheeling  and  Wheeling.  He  was 
pastor  of  the  former  church  until  his  death,  September  13,  1859. 
He  was  everywhere  regarded  as  an  humble,  godly,  consistent  mini- 
ster of  Christ. 

William  Speer 

was  a  native  of  Adams  county.  Pa.  ;  a  graduate  of  Dickinson  Col- 
lege; licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle,  June  22,  1791.  He 
became  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Redstone  in  1803,  and 
accepted  calls  to  Greensburgh  Ind  Unity.  He  labored  here  until 
his  death,  April  26,  1829.  He  was  grandfather  of  Rev.  Dr;  Speer 
of  the  Board  of  Education. 


temperance. 
'  In  the  present  state  of  public  opinion,  it  is  interesting  to  inquire 
as  to  the  views  and  practices  of  the  early  Western  Church  as  to 
temperance.  There  is  not  much  that  is  encouraging  in  the  early 
history.  Grain  was  plenty,  the  market  was  dull,  and  the  almost 
universal  practice  was  to  condense  it  into  the  form  of  whiskey. 
Three-quarters  of  a  century  ago,  every  third  or  fourth  farm  through- 
out the  counties  of  Washington,  Fayette,  Westmoreland,  and 
Allegheny,  had  a  distillery.  The  result  was,  the  people  drank,  the 
elders  drank,  the  ministers  drank.  It  was  thought  to  be  a  necessary 
beverage.  In  the  winter  the  people  thought  it  kept  out  the  cold  ; 
in  the  summer  they  imagined  it  moderated  the  heat ;  in  wet  weather 
it  was  supposed  to  prevent  colds ;  and  in  sickly  seasons  it  was  believed 
to  prevent  diseases. 

But  there  is  this  much  to  be  said  in  their  favor :  they  manufac- 
tured whiskey,  not  a  miserable  compound  of  strychnine  and  slops, 
that  poisoned,  and  crazed,  and  eat  out  the  system. 

So  they  used  whiskey  freely  at  births,  at  marriages,  at  funerals,  on 
all  festive  occasions. 

Notwithstanding,  the  testimony  does  not  indicate  that  dnmken- 
ness  was  the  vice  of  the  times.  It  is  true  the  Whiskey  Insurrection 
occurred  in  the  bounds  of  the  Redstone  Presbytery,  but  this  arose, 


2^8  PRESBYTER/AN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

not  from  the  love  of  the  people  for  the  article,  but  from  a  mistaken 
notion  that  their  rights  were  invaded. 

Yet  with  all  this,  it  can  only  be  said  in  the  Apostle's  language : 
"  The  times  of  this  ignorance  God  winked  at ;  but  now  commandeth 
all  men  everywhere  to  repent." 

In  1 814  the  Presbytery  of  Erie  inaugurated  a  new  movement  in 
the  matter  in  the  following  words :  ' '  Presbytery  taking  into  view 
the  pernicious  effects  of  ardent  spirits  on  the  peace  and  good  morals 
of  society,  and  the  necessity  of  testifying  by  example  as  well  as  pre- 
cept against  the  common  and  excessive  use  of  them  at  public  meet- 
ings and  social  visits :  Resolved,  to  make  no  use  of  them  at  their 
various  ecclesiastical  meetings." 

Two  years  afterwards,  the  same  Presbytery  enjoins  upon  its 
ministers  to  bear  publiq  testimony  against  the  vice  of  drunkenness. 
In  1829,  the  Presbytery  resolved  itself  into  a  temperance  society, 
on  the  principle  of  "  rigid  and  entire  abstinence  from  the  use  of  ar- 
dent spirits,  except  for  medicinal  purposes." 

The  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  took  very  decided  action  in  1816. 
After  enumerating  many  of  the  evils  of  whiskey-drinking,  it  was 
"  Resolved,  that  ardent  spirits  ought  never  to  be  used  except  as  a 
medicine,  .  .  .  that  the  habitual  use  of  it  in  families,  and  by 
laborers,  is  training  up  thousands  for  poverty,  disgrace,  the  prison, 
the  gallows,  and  eternal  misery." 

From  this  onward  the  testimony  grows  stronger  and  stronger, 
until  the  Synod  plants  itself  firmly  on  the  principle  of  total  absti- 
nence. 


ALLEGHENY. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  century  the  site  of  Allegheny  City  was  a 
wilderness.  In  181 2  a  few  settlers  had  made  inroads  upon  the  forest, 
and  had  builded  their  cabins.  Notice  is  called  to  the  fact  in  the 
minutes  of  the  Presbytery  of  Erie,  in  April  of  that  year,  in  the  fol- 
lowing words  :  "  An  indigent  and  needy  neighborhood,  situated 
on  the  Allegheny,  opposite  Pittsburgh,  having  applied  for  sup- 
plies," the  matter  was  laid  before  the  Presbytery. 

Joseph  Stockton  seems  to  have  been  the  first  stated  minister, 
preaching  a  part  of  his  time  there  until  181 9.     Afterwards  John 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  zjg 

Joyce,  and  after  him  Job  F.  Halsey,  preached  until  1835.  It  was 
not,  however,  until  February,  1830,  that  the  first  Presbyterian 
Church  was  organized.  It  embraced  fifty-four  members.  E.  P. 
Swift,  D.D.,  was  called  to  the  pastorate  in  1835.  He  continued 
with  the  church  until  his  death. 

Elisha  Pope  Swift,  D.D., 

was  born  in  Williamstown,  Mass.,  April  12, 1792.  On  his  mother's 
side  he  was  descended  from  Rev.  John  Eliot,  the  "Apostle  of  the 
Indians."  Graduated  at  Williams  College  1813  ;  theology  at  Prince- 
ton; licensed  by  New  Brunswick  Presbytery,  April  24,  1816;  or- 
dained as  a  Foreign  Missionary,  September  3,  181 7.  Prevented, 
providentially,  from  entering  upon  Foreign  Missionary  work,  he 
was  settled  at  Pittsburgh  in  1819,  in  Allegheny  City  in  1835.  He 
died  April  3,  1865,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Swift  was  majestic  in  person,  towering  in  intellect,  kind  and 
tender  in  heart,  and  gave  himself  wholly  to  the  work  of  the  Lord. 
Two  of  his  sons  are  in  the  ministry  of  the  church. 

AsHBEL  Green  Fairchild,  D.D., 

was  born  at  Hanover,  New  Jersey,  May  ist,  1795.  He  graduated  at 
Princeton  in  181 3,  and  finished  his  theological  studies  at  the  same 
place.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Jersey  in  April,  1816;  ordained  as  an  Evangelist  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Redstone,  July  i ,  1 818  ;  and  installed  as  Pastor  of  George's  Creek, 
Morgantown  and  Greensboro,  July  2,  1822,  with  a  salary  of  three 
hundred  and  thirty-three  dollars.  In  1827  he  resigned  the  charge 
of  Morgantown  and  Greensboro,  and  was  installed  over  Tent.  He 
died  June  30,  1864.  He  was  author  of  "  Great  Supper,"  "Bap- 
tism," "  Unpopular  Doctrines,"  "What  Presbyterians  Believe." 

Presbytery  of  Allegheny. 

In  the  year  1820,  the  Presbyfery  of  Allegheny  was  erected  from 
the  territory  of  Erie  Presbytery.  Its  boundaries  included  so  much 
of  said  Erie  Presbytery  as  lies  south  of  the  line  commencing  at  the 
mouth  of  Little  Neshannock:  thence  up  Big  Neshannock  to  the 
mouth  of  Yellow  Creek ;  thence  up  Yellow  Creek  to  Hosack's  Mill ; 


240  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

thence  along  the  Mercer  road  to  Franklin ;  north  of  Franklin  to  the 
mouth  of  French  Creek;  thence  up  the  Allegheny  river  to  the  State 
line ;  embracing  Rev.  Messrs.  John  McPherrin,  Abraham  Boyd, 
Robert  McGarraugh,  Cyrus  Riggs,  Reed  Bracken,  John  Redick, 
and  John  Munson,  with  their  respective  charges.  They  met  at 
Butler,  John  McPherrin  presiding,  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April, 
1820. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  Synod  they  reported  :  John  McPherrin  at 
Butler  and  Concord ;  Abraham  Boyd  at  Bull  Creek  and  Deer  Creek ; 
Alex.  Cook  at  Ebenezer  and  Bear  Creek ;  Robert  McGarraugh  at 
Rehoboth  and  Licking ;  Cyrus  Riggs  at  Scrubgrass  and  Unity  ; 
Reid  Bracken  at  Nebo  and  Middlesex ;  John  Redick  at  Slate  Lick 
and  Union ;  John  Munson  at  Plain  Grove  and  Centre. 

Vacant  congregations,  unable  to  support  a  pastor:  Franklin, 
Amity,  Richland  and  Redbank. 

In  1822  some  important  changes  were  made  in  the  boundaries  of 
the  Presbytery.  All  that  portion  of  the  Presbytery  of  Redstone 
situated  north  and  west  of  the  Ohio  and  Allegheny  rivers,  was  at- 
tached to  Ohio  Presbytery.  This  territory  embraced  Rev.  Messrs. 
John  Andrews,  Francis  Herron,  Joseph  Stockton,  Robert  Patterson, 
and  E.  P.  Swift. 

In  1825  the  Synod  of  Western  Reserve  was  erected  by  the 
General  Assembly  from  the  territory  of  this  Synod,  embracing  the 
Presbyteries  of  Grand  River,  Portage  and  Huron. 

In  1830  the  Presbytery  of  Blairsville  was  erected  from  the  terri- 
tory of  Redstone,  embracing  the  ministers  and  congregations  north 
of  the  Pittsburgh  and  Stoystown  turnpike,  viz. :  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  W. 
Henderson,  Francis  Laird,  David  Barclay,  James  Graham,  John 
Reed,  Samuel  Swan,  Jesse  Smith,  Thomas  Davis,  John  H.  Kirk- 
patrick,  Samuel  McFarren,  Elisha  D.  Barrett,  James  Campbell,  and 
\Vatson  Hughes,  with  their  respective  charges.  The  new  Presby- 
tery held  its  first  meeting  at  Ebenezer,  Francis  Laird  presiding. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  Synod,  this  Presbytery  reported  thirteen 
ministers,  and  twenty-four  congregations,  of  which  four  were  va- 
cant. 

In  1833  the  name  of  Hartford  Presbytery  was  changed  to  Beaver, 
as  the  town  of  Hartford,  after  which  it  had  been  called,  was  no 
longer  within  its  bounds. 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  ■  241 


The  Synod  of  Ohio 

was  erected  by  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  181 4,  on  petition 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Lancaster  and  Synod  of  Kentucky,  The  act 
was  in  these  words :  "  That  the  Presbytery  of  Lancaster  be  separated 
from  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  and  the  Presbyteries  of  Washington 
and  Miami  be  separated  from  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  and  be  erected 
into  a  new  Synod,  to  be  known  and  called  by  the  name  of  the  Synod 
of  Ohio ;  to  meet  at  Chillicothe  on  the  last  Thursday  of  October 
next,  and  that  Rev.  Robert  G.  Wilson,  or  in  case  of  his  absence, 
the  senior  minister  present,  open  the  Synod  with  a  sermon,  and 
preside  until  a  new  Moderator  be  chosen." 

At  the  time  appointed  there  were  present  at  the  new  Synod, 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Lancaster :  Thomas  Moore,  without  charge ; 
Stephen  Lindley,  pastor  at  Marietta;  Jacob  Lindley,  S.  S.  at 
Athens ;  John  Wright,  pastor  at  Hocking  and  Rush  Creek ;  John 
Robinson,  pastor  at  Mt.  Pleasant ;  James  Scott,  pastor  at  Ebenezer, 
Clinton,  and  Frederic;  James  Cunningham,  pastor  at  Salem  and 
Fearing ;  William  Jones,  pastor  at  Circleville  and  Walnut  Plains ; 
Joseph  S.  Hughes,  pastor  at  Delaware  and  Liberty ;  and  James  Cul- 
bertson,  pastor  at  Zanesville  and  Springfield. 

Vacant  congregations,  able  to  support  a  pastor :  Waterford, 
Newark  and  Concord,  Worthington,  Union  and  Washington, 
Clear  Creek,  Amanda.  Unable  to  support  a  pastor :  Portsmouth, 
Gallipolis,  Unity,  Leading  Creek,  Berkshire,  Licking,  High  Bank, 
Mansfield,  and  Wakatomaka. 

From  the  Presbytery  of  Washington  ;  R.  G.  Wilson,  at  Chillicothe ; 
WiUiam  Williamson,  at  W.  Union,  Manchester,  and  Cabin  Creek ; 
James  Gilleland,  at  Red  Oak ;  Robert  Wilson,  S.  S;  at  Washington 
and  Germantown,  Kentucky;  John  Boyd,  S.  S.  at  Short  Creek 
and  White  Oak;  Nicholas  Pittenger,  at  Nazareth,  Rocky  Spring, 
and  Newmarket ;  Robert  B.  Dobbins,  at  Smyrna  and  Williams- 
burgh;  JamesHoge,atFranklinton,  now  Columbus;  Samuel  Woods, 
at  Liberty ;  James  H.  Dickey,  at  Buckskin,  Concord,  and  Pisgah ; 
John  AndrcAvs,  Samuel  Baldridge,  and  Johti  P.  Campbell. 

Vacant   Churches ;    Hopewell    and   Alexandria ;    Big  Bottom ; 
Washington,  Ohio;    Oak  Run  and  Todd's  Fork;  Harmony  and 
Union,  and  Bethel. 
Q 


242  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

From  the  Presbytery  of  Miami :  James  Welsh,  at  Dayton ;  Wil- 
liam Robinson ;  M.  S.  Wallace,  at  Hamilton,  Seven  Mile,  and 
Dick's  Creek;  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  at  Cincinnati;  Daniel  Hayden,  at 
Duck  Creek  and  Hopewell ;  John  Thompson,  at  Springfield  and 
Unity. 

Vacant  Churches:  Bath,  Lebanon  and  Yellow  Spring,  Honey 
Creek  and  Mackacheek,  Washington  and  Troy,  New  Lexington  and 
New  Jersey,  Brookville  and  Whitewater. 

In  1 817  a  petition  was  received  from  members  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Lancaster  requesting  a  division  of  that  Presbytery.  •  Accordingly 
a  new  Presbytery  was  erected,  called  the  Presbytery  of  Richland, 
composed  of  the  following  members :  James  Adams,  James  Scott, 
James  Cunningham,  George  Van  Eman,  William  Matthews,  Ebe- 
nezer  Washburne,  and  Joseph  S.  Hughes.  Many  of  these  brethren 
attained  to  great  usefulness  and  eminence  in  the  church. 

James  Hoge,  D.D., 

was  the  son  of  Rev.  Moses  Hoge,  D.D.  Was  born  in  Moorfield, 
Virginia,  in  1784.  Licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  Lexington 
Presbytery,  April  17,  1805.  Ordained  by  Washington  Presbytery, 
June  II,  1808,  and  settled  as  pastor  of  Franklinton,  Ohio,  now 
First  Church,  Columbus.  Of  this  church  he  was  pastor  until  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1858,  when  he  was  released  from  his  charge.  He  died 
September  22,  1863.  Dr.  Hoge  was  one  of  the  great  men  of  the 
Synod  of  Ohio.  His  influence  was  great  in  the  Synod  and  in  the 
General  Assembly.  With  Drs.  Rice  and  Lord,  he  was  for  some  time 
a  professor  in  a  theological  seminary  in  Cincinnati.  The  First 
Church  of  Columbus  was  the  first  of  any  denomination  organized  in 
that  part  of  the  State.  This  organization  took  place  February  8, 
1806.  The  first  edifice  was  a  log  cabin,  25x30  feet.  A  new  build- 
ing was  erected  in  1830. 

John  Wright 
was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  1777.  Graduated 
at  Dickinson  College.  Studied  theology  with  Dr.  Power  and  David 
Smith.  Licensed  by  Redstone  Presbytery,  October,  1800.  In  1806 
settled  at  Lancaster  and  Rush  Creek,  O.,  where  he  labored  for  nearly 
thirty  years.     In  1832  he  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  the  minis- 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  243 


try.  He  died  at  the  house  of  his  son,  Rev.  E.  W.  Wright,  at 
Delphi,  Indiana,  August  31,  1854. 

James  Culbertson 

was  born  in  Rocky  Spring  congregation,  Franklin  county,  Pa.,  in 
1785.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle,  and  in  Au- 
gust, 1 81 2,  commenced  his  life-labors  in  Zanesville,  Ohio.  The 
congregation  was  weak,  and  without  a  house  of  worship,  yet  he  set 
forward  with  zeal  and  hope.  He  was  ordained  December  24, 1812. 
He  died  February,  1847,  ^^ter  having  been  pastor  of  the  church  for 
thirty-five  years, 

Joseph  Smith  Hughes, 

the  grandson  of  Joseph  Smith,  of  Redstone  Presbytery,  and  son  of 
Rev.  James  Hughes,  President  of  Miami  University,  commenced  his 
studies  at  Greersburg  Academy,  in  Beaver  county,  Pa.,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach  and  commenced  his  labors  as  first  pastor  of  Dela- 
ware, Ohio,  November  11,  1810,  where  he  labored  until  his  death, 
in  1823.  He  was  Recorder  for  Delaware  county.  His  disposition 
was  genial,  his  popularity  unbounded  among  the  people,  and  his 
preaching  very  acceptable. 

Joshua  L.  Wilson,  D.D., 

was  a  Virginian,  born  in  Bedford  county,  September  22,  1774. 
The  family  library  consisted  of  a  Bible,  Watts'  Hymns,  and  the 
Shorter  Catechism.  He  studied  privately,  and  was  licensed  to 
preach  in  1802  ;  ordained  1804.  He  was  settled  first  in  Kentucky. 
In  1808  he  became  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Cincin- 
nati, where  he  continued  for  thirty-eight  years,  until  his  death.  He 
died  on  the  14th  of  August,  1846.  He  was  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  talent  and  of  great  influence  in  the  Church.  He  had  a 
fine,  stately  form,  with  a  bright,  intellectual  face. 

Daniel  Hayden 

was  from  Western  Pennsylvania;  born  April,  1781;  graduated  at 
Jefferson  College  1805;  licensed  by  Erie  Presbytery  October  20, 
1808;  settled  over  Pleasant  Ridge  Church,  in  the  Presbytery  of 
Miami,  in  1809;  died  August  27,  1835,  aged  fifty-four. 


244  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

Robert  G.  Wilson,  D.D., 

was  the  first  minister  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio.  He  was  born  in  North 
CaroUna,  December  30,  1768;  graduated  at  Dickinson  College  in 
1 790 ;  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina,  April  16,  1 793 ; 
ordained  May  22,  1794,  as  pastor  of  two  churches  in  his  native 
State.  It  1805  he  accepted  the  call  of  the  church  at  Chillicothe, 
then  recently  organized,  with  a  salary  of  $400.  In  1824  he  resigned 
his  charge,  at  the  advice  of  Presbytery,  to  accept  the  Presidency  of 
the  Ohio  University.  This  office  he  resigned  in  1829,  and  returned 
to  Chillicothe.  He  died  on  the  17th  of  April,  1851,  in  the  eighty- 
third  year  of  his  age.  He  did  a  good  work  for  Presbyterianism  in 
Ohio,  and  has  left  an  impression  that  will  not  soon  be  effaced. 

In  1 82 1  the  Synod  resolved  to  make  a  reorganization  of  the 
Presbyteries.  This  new  division  resulted  in  the  organization  of 
seven  Presbyteries :  Cincinnati,  Miami,  Columbus,  Chillicothe, 
Athens,  Lancaster,  and  Richland. 

In  1824,  ten  years  after  its  erection,  there  were  in  the  Synod 
seven  Presbyteries,  sixty-two  ministers,  143  churches,  5,745  com- 
municants; showing  an  increase  during  that  decade  of  about  100 
per  cent. 

In  1829  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati  was  erected,  cutting  off  from 
this  Synod  the  three  Presbyteries  of  Chillicothe,  Cincinnati,-  and 
Miami. 

In  1834  the  Presbytery  of  Wooster  was  organized,  comprising  nine 
ministers  and  twenty-nine  churches.  In  1835  the  Presbytery  of 
Marion  was  organized,  consisting  of  eight  ministers,  and  eighteen 
churches. 

Archibald  Hanna 

was  a  Washington  county  man ;  born  February  12,1 790 ;  graduated 
at  Jefferson  College,  1815;  studied  theology  witKDr.  Rhea;  licensed 
by  the  Ohio  Presbytery  in  181 8,  The  next  year  he  removed  to 
Wayne  county,  Ohio.  In  1820  he  was  ordained  and  settled  as 
pastor  of  the  congregations  of  Mount  Eaton,  Pigeon  Run,  and 
Fredericksburg.  In  1824  he  gave  up  Pigeon  Run,  in  1831  Mount 
Eaton.  His  last  charge  was  Dalton.  This  he  resigned  in  1857. 
He  died  at  Dalton,  Ohio,  June  9,  1875,  i^^  '^^  eighty-sixth  year  of 
his  age.     He  had  three  sons,  and  one  son-in-law  in  the  ministry — 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  345 

Samuel  (deceased),  Joseph  A.,  James  W.  and  D.  R.  Colmery.  All 
his  other  sons  and  sons-in-law  are  elders  in  the  church.  Mr. 
Hanna  was  a  most  faithful  and  laborious  minister. 

Synod  of  Western  Reserve. 

This  Synod  was  erected  by  the  General  Assembly  in  1825,  on 
application  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  from  its  own  territory,  and 
consisted  of  the  Presbyteries  of  Grand  River,  Portage,  and  Huron. 
The  Synod  met  at  Huron,  Ohio,  on  the  fourth  Tuesday  of  Septem- 
ber of  that  year.  Rev.  Joseph  Badger  presiding. 

In  1827  the  Presbytery  of  Trumbull  was  organized  out  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Grand  River.  In  1830  the  Presbytery  of  Cleveland 
was  organized  from  the  territory  of  Huron. 

In  the  year  1836,  the  Presbyteries  of  Maumee,  Loraine  and  Me- 
dina were  organized. 

At  one  time  the  Presbyteries  of  Detroit,  St.  Josephs,  and  Monro, 
in  Michigan,  were  attached  to  the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve. 
In  1834  the  Synod  of  Michigan  was  organized,  embracing  these 
Presbyteries. 


THE  STORM. 

We  approach  the  years  1837-38  with  feelings  of  pain  and  the 
remembrance  of  the  deep  troubles  of  the  past.  They  are  the  same 
feelings  that  move  us  as  we  refer  to  the  years  1860-61  in  our  coun- 
try's history.  The  Church  is  sitting  under  the  heavy  shadow  of  a 
cloud.  The  very  atmosphere  seems  oppressive.  The  clouds  are 
everywhere  gathering.  There  is  the  distant  rumbling  of  the  thun- 
der, and  fear  fills  the  heart  of  the  Church.  The  storm  falls  at  last. 
The  Church  totters  and  trembles  and  bows  beneath  its  fury.  Ses- 
sions, Presbyteries,  Synods,  General  Assemblies,  are  rent  asunder. 
Brethren  who  have  talked  and  wept  and  prayed  and  labored  together, 
are  parted  to  meet  no  more  as  fellow-laborers. 

It  is  the  old  story  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  over  again ;  disagreeing, 
parting  in  wrath,  going  different  directions,  blaming  each  other,  ex- 
cusing themselves:  "one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,"  yet  sun- 
dered from  each  other  as  though  they  had  never  walked  in  the  same 
path. 


i4f>  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION.  , 

No  sadder  sight  was  ever  witnessed  upon  earth — not  even  the  dis- 
ruption of  the  Church  of  Scotland — than  this  great  American  Pres- 
byterian Church,  torn  asunder  from  North  to  South,  from  East  to 
West.  But  the  Lord  reigneth.  The  Church  was  safe  even  when 
borne  upon  the  raging  billows. 

The  storm  passed,  but  its  consequences  remained.  Presbyteries, 
Synods,  and  General  Assemblies  met  once  more,  and  the  work  went 
forward.  But  there  was  an  earnest  looking  about  to  see  the  result 
of  the  sad  division.  It  was  like  ^neas  of  old,  with  his  comrades, 
numbering  the  ships  that  were  safe,  and  mourning  over  those  that 
had  been  borne  away  in  the  storm.  The  same  glorious  work  was 
to  go  forward,  but  under  separate  management.  « 

In  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  the  division  was  unequal.  A  few 
ministers  and  churches  in  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio  were  organized 
into  the  Presbytery  of  Pittsburgh,  N.  S.  In  the  Presbytery  of  Erie, 
the  majority  went  with  the  New  School.  The  other  Presbyteries 
were  nearly  unanimously  with  the  Old  School. 

In  the  Synod  of  Ohio  the  division  was  attended  by  the  follow- 
ing results ;  about  two-thirds  of  the  ministers,  a  little  more  than 
this  proportion  of  churches,  and  still  more  of  communicants,  cast 
in  their  lots  with  the  Old  School.  The  remainder  adhered  to  the 
New. 

The  Synod  of  Western  Reserve,  in  solid  phalanx,  adhered  to 
the  New  School. 

Each  branch  then  girded  itself  for  the  work  of  the  Lord  under 
the  new  arrangement  with  zeal  and  new  determination. 


THE  SYNOD   OF  WHEELING   (O.  S.) 

was  erected  in  1841,  composed  of  the  Presbyteries  of  Washington, 
Steubenville,  St.  Clairsville,  and  New  Lisbon.  The  first  meeting 
was  held  at  Steubenville,  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  October. 

That  year  the  Presbytery  of  Washington  reported  21  ministers,  25 
churches,  and  3,552  communicants.  Steubenville  reported  18 
ministers,  24  churches,  and  2,292  communicants.  St.  Clairsville 
reported  11  ministers,  20  churches,  and  1,239  communicants.  New 
Lisbon  reported  10  ministers,  24  churches,  and  1,656  communi- 
cants. 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  347 

Many  of  the  ministers  and  churches  of  these  Presbyteries  have 
already  come  under  our  notice. 

Henry  R.  Weed,  D.D., 

was  born  at  Ballston,  N.  Y.,  July  20,  1787  ;  graduated  at  Union 
College ;  studied  theology  at  Princeton,  being  the  first  student 
matriculated;  licensed  to  preach  in  1815  ;  January,  1816,  ordained 
and  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Church  of  Jamaica,  L.  I.  Four 
years  after  this  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
Albany,  N.  Y.  In  1832  he  went  to  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  in  charge 
of  which  church  he  continued  until  his  death,  although  in  1862, 
under  the  pressure  of  years,  he  gave  up  the  burden  of  his  labor  to 
his  co-pastor,  Dr.  D.  W.  Fisher.  He  died  in  West  Philadelphia, 
December  14,  1870,  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Weed  was  a  kind,  faithful,  and  sympathizing  pastor.  He 
preached  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  With  a  cultivated  intellect  and 
a  warm  heart  his  message  was  always  attractive. 

In  1 841  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  erected  the  Presbytery  of 
Clarion  out  of  the  territory  of  the  Presbytery  of  Allegheny. 


SYNOD    OF   WEST    PENNSYLVANIA    (N.  S.) 

This  Synod  was  erected  by  the  General  Assembly  (N.  S.)  in  1843, 
embracing  the  ministers  and  churches  connected  with  the  Presbyte- 
ries of  Erie,  Meadville,  and  Pittsburgh.  The  first  meeting  of  the 
new  Synod  was  held  at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  third  Tues- 
day of  October,  1843,  ^^v.  D.  H.  Riddle,  D.D.,  presiding. 

Of  the  Presbyteries  composing  this  Synod,  Erie  was  composed  of 
the  majority  of  the  old  Presbytery  of  Erie  before  the  division. 

The  Presbytery  of  Meadville  had  been  erected  by  the  Synod  of 
Pennsylvania,  October  25th,  1842.  Its  first  meeting  was  held  at 
Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  January  loth,  1843,  ^^v-  ^-  S-  Lockwood 
presiding.  It  embraced  all  the  ministers  and  churches  of  the  Pres- 
b)rtery  of  Erie  outside  the  county  of  Erie,  the  Presbytery  of  Erie 
being  confined  to  Erie  county. 

The  Presbytery  of  Pittsburgh  had  been  organized  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Ohio  by  the  Synod  of  Pennsylvania  soon  after  the  great 


248  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

George  A.  Lyon,  D.D., 

was  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  March  3d,  1806.  He  graduated 
at  Dickinson  College  in  1824.  His  theological  education  was  ac- 
quired at  Princeton ;  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Carlisle,  April  9th,  1828;  ordained  and  iristalled  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Erie,  as  Pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Erie, 
Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  Lyon  continued  the  pastor  of  this  church  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Avon  Springs,  New  York,  March  24,  1871,  in  the  sixty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age. 


PRESBYTERY    OF  ALLEGHENY   CITY. 

In  1853  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  erected  the  Presbytery  of  Alle- 
gheny City  out  of  the  territory  of  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio.  This 
change  was  with  the  view  of  forming  the  new  Synod  that  was 
erected  the  following  year. 


SYNOD   OF   ALLEGHENY   (O.   S.) 

This  Synod  was  erected  in  1854,  from  that  part  of  the  territory 
of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  lying  west  and  north  of  the  Allegheny 
and  Ohio  rivers.  Its  first  meeting  was  held  at  Allegheny  City, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  opened  with  a  sermon  by  Rev.  Wm.  Annan, 
who  was  appointed  to  preside.  Rev.  David  Elliott,  D.D.,  was  the 
first  Moderator.  It  embraced  the  Presbyteries  of  Allegheny,  Alle- 
gheny City,  Beaver,  and  Erie.  It  reported  to  the  next  Assembly 
that  it  consisted  of  four  Presbyteries,  sixty  ministers,  and  had 
under  its  care  eighty-eight  churches  and  eight  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four  communicants. 


HALLELUJAHS. 

Thirty-two  years  have  rolled  away  since  the  storm  burst  upon  the 
Church.  There  have  been  many  dark  and  many  joyous  days — days 
of  tearful  sowing,  and  days  of  joyful  reaping  and  bearing  of  sheaves 
on  either  side,  when  a  scene  is  witnessed  in  the  streets  of  the  City  of 
Pittsburgh  that  must  have  made  the  angels  glad.     A  throng  of  minis- 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  249 

ters  and  elders  come  in  glad  procession  from  the  Third  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  and  are  joined  by  a  similar  throng  from  the  First 
Church.  The  mingled  bands  walk  in  triumph  around  to  the  Third 
Church,  and,  amid  glad  hallelujahs,  the  sundered  branches  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  are  made  one,  once  more.  To  God  be  all  the 
glory ! 


NEW   SYNODS. 

The  whole  Church  is  reconstructed  in  its  ecclesiastical  boundaries. 
We  have  four  Synods  on  the  old  territory :  Cleveland,  Columbus, 
Erie,  and  Pittsburgh. 


NEW   PRESBYTERIES. 

The  same  year  of  grace,  1870,  twenty  new  Presbyteries  are  organ- 
ized by  these  four  Synods,  viz. :  In  the  Synod  of  Cleveland :  Cleve- 
land, Mahoning,  St.  Clairsville,  and  Steubenville.  Columbus: 
Athens,  Columbus,  Marion,  Wooster,  and  Zanesville.  Erie :  Alle- 
gheny, Butler,  Clarion,  Erie,  Kittanning,  and  Shenango.  Piits- 
burgh:  Blairsville,  Pittsburgh,  Redstone,  Washington,  and  West 
Virginia. 

These  Synods  and  Presbyteries  gird  themselves  anew  for  the 
work.  This  year,  1875,  they  report  to  the  General  Assembly  the 
following  statistics : 

Ministers,  604 ;  churches,  75 1 ;  communicants  added  on  exa- 
mination, 5,563 ;  total  communicants,  84,588.  Benevolent  funds, 
$336,088;  total  funds,  $1,244,964. 

The  seed  that  was  sown  a  century  ago  has  taken  deep  root  and 
filled  the  land.  "  The  hills  are  covered  with  the  shadows  of  it,  and 
the  boughs  thereof  are  like  the  goodly  cedars.  She  has  sent  out  her 
boughs  unto  the  sea,  and  her  branches  unto  the  river." 

The  influence  of  these  Synods  has  been  most  salutary  in  the  re- 
gion where  they  were  first  planted.  The  doctrines  and  practice  of 
the  early  fathers  prevail  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  to  this  day. 
Their  views  of  the  Sabbath,  as  to  its  sanctity,  its  abiding  obligation, 
and  its  blessed  influences,  their  views  of  Bible  truth  and  Christian 
duty,  are  substantially  the  views  of  the  Church  to-day.     The  influ- 


SSO  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

ences  of  early  Presbyterianism  have  given  a  stability  and  a  perman- 
ence to  society  here,  that  is  like  that  of  the  everlasting  hills. 

But  it  has  not  stopped  here.  It  is  felt  to-day  all  over  the  West. 
The  wide-rolling  prairies  are  largely  cultivated  by  the  descendants 
of  those  who,  under  God,  planted  the  standard  of  Presbyterianism 
here  one  hundred  years  ago.  They  carried  with  them  and  left  to 
their  children  the  rich  legacy  of  prayer  and  faith  and  trust  they 
had  received  from  their  fathers,  and  its  influence  is  like  that  of  the 
early  and  latter  rain  upon  the  thirsty  land  of  the  Orient. 

In  all  this  we  trace  the  good  hand  of  our  God.  He  kept  this 
land  for  us  at  the  first.  He  planted  this  vine  in  this  goodly  soil. 
He  sent  here  strong,  earnest  men  to  do  his  work.  He  poured  out 
his  Holy  Spirit,  and  made  his  work  to  prosper  during  all  the  years 
of  this  century.  There  have  been  the  storm  and  the  calm,  the  joy 
and  the  sorrow,  the  weeping  and  the  rejoicing.  Both  our  fathers 
and  we  have  gone  forth  weeping  and  bearing  precious  seed ;  but 
how  often,  oh,  how  often,  He  has  permitted  us  to  return  with  rejoic- 
ing, and  bearing  our  sheaves  with  us  ! 

And  now,  for  all  the  success  and  prosperity  of  the  past  one  hun- 
dred years,  let  us,  this  day,  give  God  the  glory.  And  let  us  gird 
ourselves  anew  for  the  work  of  the  Lord,  striving  to  plant  the 
standard  of  the  Cross  still  higher  on  the  steeps  of  time,  and  looking 
for  a  new  and  grander  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  enable  us  to 
finish  our  course  here  with  joy. 

And  may  others  take  up  this  grand  work  when  we  lay  it  down, 
and  carry  it  forward  yet  more  triumphantly,  until  all  over  this  land, 
from  ocean  to  ocean,  and  from  lake  to  gulf,  and  to  the  uttermost 
ends  of  the  earth,  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed  and  his 
name  be  praised  ! 

And  when  we  go  up  to  "see  the  King  in  his  beauty,"  and  stand 
in  the  unveiled  splendor  of  his  glory  on  Mount  Zion,  and  meet  the 
fathers  of  this  wonderful  century  that  is  closing,  and  with  them  re- 
count the  victories  of  the  past,  with  glad  and  joyous  hearts,  we 
will  be  prepared  to  join  in  the  loud  acclaim  : 

"  Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem 
And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all." 


SKETCHES 

OF 

PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY, 

"With  an  Account  of  the  Organization 

OF  THE 

FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH, 

.      In  1786-7. 

BY 

WILLIAM  M.  DARLINGTON,  ESQ. 
351 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY. 


N  Western  Pennsylvania  there  are  many  traces  of  its 
occupation  ages  ago  by  that  extinct  race,  the  "  Mound 
Builders,"  whose  works  of  earth  and  stone,  fortifica- 
tions, mounds,  or  places  for  interment — often  of  great 
magnitude,  implements  for  war,  agriculture,  hunting,  and  domes- 
tic use,  are  found  throughout  the  entire  country  watered  by  the 
Ohio  river  and  its  branches,  and  especially  in  the  States  of  Ohio 
and  Kentucky. 

Forty  years  since,  an  ancient  fortification  was  plainly  discernible, 
enclosing  a  few  acres  of  high  land  within  a  bend  of  Chartiers  Creek, 
at  Woodville,  seven  miles  from  Pittsburgh,  on  the  Washington  road. 
There  is  a  mound  yet  remaining  on  the  ridge  at  McKee's  Rocks, 
below  the  mouth  of  Chartiers ;  near  it  dwelt  Shingiss,  the  famous 
warrior  and  King  of  the  Delawares,  when  visited  by  Major  George 
Washington,  in  October,  1753. 

There  is  another  mound  of  smaller  dimensions,  much  reduced  by 
the  plow  and  surmounted  by  a  venerable  oak,  to  be  seen  in  a  field 
on  the  banks  of  the  Allegheny,  above  Sharpsburg.  In  it,  about  the 
close  of  the  last  century,,  was  buried  Guyasuta,  the  distinguished 
Chief  of  the  Seneca  tribe  of  the  Six  Nations.  His  cabin  stood  a 
short  distance  from  this  burial  place.  It  is  well  known  that  the  suc- 
cessors of  the  "Mound  Builders,"  the  red  race,  occasionally  used 
the  same  place  for  interment.  In  the  garden  of  the  late  James  Ross, 
near  the  present  court-house,  there  was  a  small  tumulus,  and  west 
of  it,  on  the  brow  of  Grant's  Hill,  a  circle  of  about  eight  feet  in 
diameter,  formed  by  heavy  stones  set  on  their  edge  deep  in  the 
earth.     These  were  destroyed  when  Grant's  Hill  was  graded. 

2S3 


254  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

In  the  rear  of  Trinity  Church,  adjoining  Virgin  Alley  and  the 
line  of  division  between  the  Episcopal  burying-ground  and  that  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  stood  an  ancient  tumulus  or  mound, 
long  since  levelled.  In  it  and  the  ground  adjacent  were  interred  the 
dead  of  the  ancient  race — the  Red  Indians,  the  French  of  Fort 
Duquesne,  the  British  and  Americans  of  Fort  Pitt,*  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  Revolution,  and  many  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  the 
town,  which,  doubtless,  occasioned  the  selection  of  that  property 
for  dedication  to  the  uses  of  the  Episcopal  and  Presbyterian  Churches 
of  the  town  of  Pittsburgh  by  the  proprietors,  John  Penn  and  John 
Penn,  Jr. 

The  Shawanese  and  Delaware  Indians  removed  from  the  country 
on  the  Susquehanna  to  the  upper  Ohio,  or  Allegheny,  from  the  years 
1727  to  1729.  With  them  came  the  traders,  the  first  of  the  white  race 
to  make  any  kind  of  lodgment  or  settlement  in  the  western  parts  of 
the  Province.  Many  of  them  were  men  of  excellent  character;  others, 
and  especially  the  numerous  hired  men,  were  ignorant  and  dissolute, 
rapacious  in  their  dealings  with  the  Indians,  and  occasioning  as 
much  trouble  to  the  Provincial  authorities  as  the  same  class  on  the 
far  Indian  frontier  do  to  the  Federal  Government  at  the  present 
time. 

At  that  period,  the  frontier  settlements  had  extended  to  Peixtang, 
now  Harrisburg,  and  there  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  requested 
they  should  stop  and  not  go  farther.  Especially  did  they  desire  the 
authorities  of  the  province  to  ' '  restrain  the  traders  from  carrying 
rum  to  the  remoter  parts,  Allegheny  and  the  branches  of  Ohio." 

*  Inscriptions  taken  from  tombstones  in  Trinity  churcliyard,  prior  to 
their  removal,  a  few  years  ago : 

"Here  lies  the  body  of  Richard  Mather,  Esq.,  late  Captain  of  Grena- 
diers in  the  Royal  American  Roj!;iment.  He  was  born  in  Westchester, 
in  England.  Died  at  Fort  Pitt,  ye  16th  March,  1762,  and  left  behind  him 
the  character  of  a  bravo  soldier  and  an  honest  man." 

"Captain  Samuel  Dawson,  of  the  8th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  of  Foot. 
From  his  youth  enured  to  arms  in  British  Service,  but  from  principle 
took  an  early  part  in  defence  of  American  liberty,  in  which  he  distin- 
guished himself  as  a  gentleman  and  brave  officer.  Deceased  Sept.  6th, 
1779." 

"  Mio-qua-coo-na-caw,  or  Red  Pole ;  Principal  Village  Chief  of  the  Sha- 
wanese Nation;  died  at  Pittsburgh,  the  28th  January,  1797.  Lamented 
by  the  United  States." 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY.  ass 

llie  Provincial  la^vs  in  relation  to  traffic  with  the  Indians  imposed 
heavy  penalties  for  their  infraction,  but  it  was  not  easy  to  enforce 
them  in  the  wilderness. 

The  principal  Indian  towns  to  which  the  traders  resorted  or  had 
storehouses  in  the  "remoter  parts,"  were  at  Venango,  Kittanning, 
and  Shannopin's  Town.  The  latter  was  situated  on  the  bank  of  the 
Allegheny  river,  now  in  the  Twelfth  Ward  of  the  City  of  Pittsburgh, 
between  Penn  Avenue,  Thirtieth  Street,  and  the  Two  Mile  Run. 
It  was  small,  had  about  twenty  families  of  Delawares,  and  was  much 
frequented  by  the  traders.  By  it  ran  the  main  Indian  path  from 
the  east  to  the  west.  In  April,  1 730,  Governor  Thomas,  at  Phila- 
delphia, received  a  message  from  ' '  the  Chieffs  of  Ye  Delawares  at 
AUegaening,  on  the  main  road,"  taken  down  (written)  by  Edmund 
Cartledge,  and  interpreted  by  James  Le  Tort,*  noted  traders. 
Among  the  names  signed  to  the  letter  is  that  of  "  Shannopin  (his  X 
mark)."  The  chiefs'  message  was  to  explain  the  cause  of  the  death 
of  a  white  man  named  Hart,  and  the  wounding  of  another,  Robeson, 
occasioned  by  rum  ;  the  bringing  of  which  in  such  great  quantities  in- 
to the  woods,  they  desired  the  Governor  to  suppress,  as  well  as  to  limit 
the  number  of  traders.  Shannopin's  name  is  signed  to  several 
documents  in  the  archives  of  the  State.  He  appeared  occasionally  at 
councils  held  with  the  Governor.  He  died  in  1749.  In  October, 
1736,  the  President  and  Council  of  the  Province  issued  a  proclama- 
tion offering  ten  pounds  reward  for  the  apprehension  of  Solomon 
Moffat,  a  blacksmith,  who  had  in  a  quarrel  killed  an  Indian  of  the 
Six  Nations,  "at  Allegheny,  in  the  county  of  Lancaster ;"  although 
"  at  Allegheny"  is  indefinite,  sometimes  referring  to  Kittanning  or 
other  Indian  towns  on  the  river.  This  occurrence  seems  to  be  the 
same  referred  to  by  Governor  Hamilton  in  a  message  to  the  Assem- 
bly in  1754,  respecting  the  bounds  of  the  Province,  and  reminding 
them  "that  a  person  apprehended  for  committing  a  murder  at 
Shannopin's  To^vn,  which  lies  south  of  Logstown,  was  tried  in  the 

*  James  Le  Tort  was  a  French  Hngnenot,  Indian  interpreter  and  trader. 
Lived  in  the  Province  from  childhood.  He  had  a  cabin  at  the  Spring, 
near  Carlisle,  in  1731  or  earlier.  Trading  on  the  Allegheny  and  Ohio, 
from  1729  to  1739,  he  appears  to  have  penetrated  as  far  as  the  rapids  on 
the  latter  stream,  fifty  miles  below  Parkersburg,  well  known  as  "Le 
Tort's  Falls,"  where  he  probably  had  a  trading  camp  or  station. 


2Sb  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

Supreme  Court  at  Philadelphia,  and  the  evidence  of  the  place  being 
within  the  limits  of  this  Province  was  so  clear  to  the  Court  and  jury, 
that  he  was  convicted  of  manslaughter,  and  suffered  his  punishment 
accordingly. 

France  claimed  the  country  on  the  waters  of  the  Ohio  by  right  of 
priority  of  discovery  and  exploration,  first  by  La  Salle  in  1669-70, 
when  he  penetrated  as  far  west  as  the  falls  near  the  present  city  of 
Louisville.  It  was  resolved  to  expel  the  English  traders  and  erect  a 
line  of  forts  connecting  Canada  and  Louisiana.  In  the  summer  of 
1749,  Captain  Celeron  de  Bienville,  with  a  detachment  of  two  hun- 
dred soldiers  and  thirty  Indians,  descended  the  Allegheny  and  Ohio 
rivers  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  mili- 
tary possession  of  the  country.  As  memorials  of  the  French  King's 
possession,  leaden  plates*  with  suitable  inscriptions  were  deposited  at 
different  points  along  the  rivers.  A  number  of  these  plates  were 
found  in  after  years.  One  deposited  at  the  point  of  land  at  the 
junction  of  the  Ohio  and  Monongahela  rivers,  bore  date  "  August 
3d,  1749,  at  the  Three  Rivers,  "f  Celeron  encamped  with  his 
troops  for  some  days  at  Logstown  (a  little  below  the  present  town  of 
Economy),  from  which  he  expelled  the  English  traders,  by  whom 
.he  sent  letters  to  Governor  Hamilton  of  Pennsylvania,  dated  at 
"  Our  Camp  on  the  beautiful  river  at  an  old  Shawnee  village,  6th 
and  loth  August,  1749,"  and  stating  that  he  was  there  "by  orders 
of  the  Marquis  de  la  Gallisoniere,  General-in-Chief  of  New  France, 
whose  orders  are  very  strict  not  to  suffer  any  foreign  traders  within 
his  government." 

In  1748  a  number  of  prominent  men  in  Virginia  formed  the 
"Ohio  Company,"  and  received  from  the  King  a  conditional  grant 
of  500,000  acres  of  land,  to  be  selected  by  the  Company  west  of  the 
Allegheny  Mountains,  and  on  which  they  were  required  to  settle 
one  hundred  families,  and  erect  and  maintain  a  fort.  In  1750  they 
employed  Christopher  Gist  to  explore  and  examine  the  country  bor- 
dering on  the  Ohio  river  and  its  branches.  He  was  then  residing 
on  the  Yadkin,  in  the  present  county  of  Wilkes,  North  Carolina. 

*  A  copy  of  the  inscription  on  the  plate  found  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Great  Kanawha  can  be  seen  in  "  Craig's  Olden  Time." 

t  In  the  Seneca  dialect,  Da-ya-o'-geh.  At  the  forks  or  point  of  land 
between  two  streams. 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY.  257 

He  was  a  native  of  Maryland  ;  like  his  father  Richard,  a  surveyor ; 
a  man  of  excellent  character,  energetic,  fearless,  and  a  thorough 
woodsman.  With  a  boy  and  two  horses  he  arrived  at  Shannopin's 
Town  on  the  19th  of  November,  1 750,  and  remaining  until  the  24th, 
swam  his  horses  across  the  river,  and  then,  taking  the  Indian  trail, 
passed  tlirough  the  tract  now  occupied  by  the  city  of  Allegheny, 
then  down  along  the  Ohio  to  Beaver  creek,  and  thence  to  the  Tus- 
carawas river,  near  the  present  town  of  Coshocton,  Ohio.  There 
he  found  a  large  town  of  the  Wyandots,  containing  about  one  hun- 
dred families.  On  Christmas  Day  he  read  prayers  to  the  assembled 
Indians,  according  to  the  forms  of  the  Established  Church  of  Eng- 
land and  Virginia,  which  were  interpreted  by  Andrew  Montour. 
This  undoubtedly  was  the  first  religious  Protestant  service  ever 
held  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  and  west  of  the  mountains. 

After  exploring  the  Miami  country.  Gist  returned  to  North 
Carolina  in  May,  passing  through  the  region  now  Kentucky  and 
South-western  Virginia. 

During  the  following  winter  of  1 75 1-2  he  was  again  employed  by  the 
Ohio  Company  in  exploring  the  country  bordering  on  the  Youghio- 
gheny  and  Monongahela  rivers  in  this  State,  and  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Ohio  in  West  Virginia  as  far  as  the  great  Kanawha ;  he  was 
accompanied  only  by  one  of  his  sons. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  or  fall  of  1753  he  commenced 
the  settlement  for  the  Ohio  Company  at  the  place  since  well  known 
as  Mount  Braddock,  in  the  present  county  of  Fayette. 

On  the  25th  day  of  August,  1753,  William  Trent*  "viewed"  the 

*  William  Trent  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  of  wliich  province  his 
father  was  one  of  the  Supreme  Judges,  and  afterwards  Chief  Justice  of 
New  Jersey,  where,  on  his  land,  was  founded  the  city  of  Trenton.  Cap- 
tain Trent  commanded  a  company  from  Pennsj'lvania,  engaged  on  the 
northern  frontier  of  New  York,  in  1746-7,  in  warfare  against  the  French 
and  Indians.  Returning  home  he  received  the  thanks  of  the  Assembly 
for  his  success.  His  residence  was  in  Cumberland  county,  south  of  Car- 
lisle. On  the  formation  of  that  county  in  1749,  he  was  appointed  by 
Grovernor  Hamilton  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 
He  was  afterwards  engaged  in  the  Indian  trade,  and  excepting  George 
Croghan,  had  more  influence  with  the  western  Indians  than  anj'  other 
w  hite  man,  and  was  often  employed  by  the  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  au- 
thorities in  negotiations  and  conferences  with  the  savages.  At  the  great 
treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix,  in  November,  1768,  he  received  from  the  Six 
R 


2^8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

ground  in  the  forks  of  the  Ohio  on  which  to  build  the  fort,  it  being 
considered  much  preferable  to  the  location  at  the  mouth  of  Char- 
tiers  Creek,  as  originally  intended  by  the  Ohio  Company. 

On  the  23d  of  November  following,  Washington,  with  Gist  for  his 
guide,  arrived  here  on  their  way  to  Venango.  He  carefully  examined 
both  "■  sites  "  for  a  fort,  and  gave  a  decided  preference  to  the  land 
in  "The  Forks." 

Of  Washington's  journey  to  Fort  Le  Bceuf,  and  interview  with  the 
French  commander,  Le  Gardeur  St.  Pierre,  you  are  no  doubt  fami- 
liar from  his  journal,  and  also  that  of  Gist.  Among  the  Indians 
who  accompanied  him  on  his  way  out  he  mentions  the  "  Young 
Hunter,"  another  name  by  which  Guyasuta,  afterwards  so  cele- 
brated, was  then  known.  On  their  return,  compelled  by  the  ice 
and  snow  to  leave  their  horses  and  their  companions,  the  journals 
relate  that,  clad  in  Indian  costume,  with  packs  on  their  backs,  they 
struck  through  the  woods  for  Shannopin's  Town,  and  narrowly 
escaped  being  shot  by  a  treacherous  Indian  they  fell  in  with.  They 
.  reached  the  shore  of  the  Allegheny  below  the  mouth  of  Pine  Creek, 
on  the  morning  of  the  29th  of  December,  and  occupied  all  day, 
with  "  one  poor  hatchet"  to  work  with,  in  making  a  raft  to  cross 
the  river,*  which  was  filled  with  floating  ice.     Washington  fell  from 

Nations  for  himself  and  other  traders— among  whom  were  a  number  of 
old  settlers  here— George  Morgan,  Thomas  Smallman,  and  John  Ornis- 
by,  agrant  of  an  immense  tract  of  land,  which  they  named  Indiana,  com- 
prising about  two-thirds  of  the  {)resent  Stateof  West  Virginia,  in  compen- 
sation for  their  losses  in  the  Indian  war  of  1763,  stated  to  amount  to  the 
sum  of  near  £86,000  sterling.  A  committee  of  Congress,  in  1782,  reported 
in  favor  of  the  validity  of  the  grant.  But  Virginia  having,  by  her  con- 
stitution in  1776,  assumed  sovereignty  and  dominion  over  all  the  terri- 
tory witliin  the  limits  of  lier  ancient  charter  (although  it  had  been  judi- 
cially annulled  in  1624),  and  declared  by  express  legislative  enactment 
in  1779  that  all  sales  and  deeds  by  Indians  for  lands  within  said  limits 
to  be  void  and  of  no  efiect,  the  grant  wasrendered  valueless  to  tlie  hold- 
ers, who  had  expended  much  time  and  money  in  their  endeavor  to 
maintain  it,  as  doubtless  they  would  have  done  but  for  the  Revolution. 
This  loss  impoverisiied  William  Trent  to  the  close  of  liis  days. 

*  The  late  James  Ross,  Sr.,  said  that  he  asked  General  Washington  at 
what  point  he  and  Gist  pushed  ofi"  to  cross  the  river,  and  he  replied : 
"It  was  directly  opposite  George  Croghan's  house."  Croghan's  house 
stood  a  short  distance  above  the  site  of  the  Lucy  Furnace,  and  a  few 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY.  2S9 

the  raft  into  the  river,  again  happily  escaping  death.  They  reached 
the  island  now  known  as  Wainwright's,  where  they  passed  a  very  cold 
night.  Gist  had  his  toes  and  fingers  frostbitten.  In  the  morning,  the 
ice  being  firm,  they  crossed  to  the  main  shore  at  the  mouth  of  the  Two- 
mile  Run,  and  thence  proceeded  to  John  Frazer's  at  Turtle  Creek, 
Queen  AUequippa's  at  the  mouth  of  the  Youghiogheny,  Gist's 
house  in  the  new  settlement,  Will's  Creek  and  home. 

The  French  built  their  fort  at  Venango,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Franklin,  in  the  winter  of  1 753-54  ;  it  was  named  Machault, 
in  honor  of  the  French  Minister  of  Marine  and  Colonies.  They 
were  at  the  same  time  busily  engaged  with  preparations  for  descend- 
ing the  Ohio.  St.  Pierre  was  ordered  to  Canada,  and  the  command 
of  Fort  Le  Boeuf  assumed  by  Pierre  Claude  de  Pecaudy  Sieur  of 
Contrecoeur. 

In  January  William  Trent  was  commissioned  Captain  by  Gover- 
nor Dinwiddle.  He  was  then  engaged  in  building  a  strong  log 
storehouse,  loop-holed,  at  Red  Stone.  John  Frazer  was  appointed 
Lieutenant  and  Edward  Ward  Ensign.  Trent  was  ordered  to  raise 
One  hundred  men.  He  succeeded  in  getting  about  seventy.  On 
the  17th  of  February,  1754,  he,  with  Gist,  Croghan,  and  others, 
met  at  the  Forks,  and  in  a  few  days  he  proceeded  to  lay  out  the 
ground  and  have  some  logs  squared  and  laid,  the  Half  King  Tanach- 
arison  assisting.  Captain  Trent  was  soon  afterwards  obliged  to  go 
across  the  mountains  to  Will's  Creek  for  supplies  of  provisions.  On 
the  13th  of  April,  Frazer  being  absent  at  Turtle  Creek,  and  Ward 
left  in  command,  he  heard  that  the  French  were  descending  the 
river  ;  he  hastened  to  complete  the  stockading  of  the  building,  and 
had  the  last  gate  finished  when,  on  the  morning  of  the  17th,  the 
French  flotilla  of  300  canoes  and  sixty  batteaux,  with  1,400  sol- 
diers and  Indians,  and  18  cannon,  was  seen  approaching  near  Shan- 
nopin's  Town.  They  moved  down  near  the  fort,  landed  their 
canoes,  formed  and  marched  their  forces  within  a  little  better  than 
gunshot  of  the  fort.     Contrecoeur  immediately  sent  Le   Mercier, 

rods  from  the  present  residence  of  Judge  McCandless.  Two  ancient 
apple  trees  mark  the  spot.  Of  course  General  Washington  referred 
to  the  locality  of  the  house,  which  was  not  built  until  1759  or  1760. 
In  October,  1770,  he  visited  Fort  Pitt,  and  dined  with  Colonel  Croghan, 
at  his  house,  as  related  in  his  printed  journal. 


26o  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

commander  of  the  artillery,  with  two  drummers,  one  of  them  as 
an  interpreter,  and  a  Mingo  Indian,  called  The  Owl,  as  interpreter 
for  the  Indians,  and  delivered  Ward  a  written  summons  to  surrender 
the  fort  and  retreat.  Le  Mercier  looked  at  his  watch  ;  the  time  was 
about  two.  He  gave  Ward  an  hour  to  determine,  telling  him  he 
must  come  to  the  French  camp,  with  his  answer  in  writing.  The 
Half  King  advised  Ward  to  temporize — to  tell  the  French  com- 
mander he  must  await  the  arrival  of  his  superior  officer.  He  went 
to  the  French  camp  in  company  with  the  Half  King,  Robert 
Roberts,  private  soldier,  and  John  Davidson  as  an  Indian  interpre- 
ter, and  addressed  Contrecoeur  as  the  Half  King  had  advised.  It 
was  refused,  and  instant  answer  to  the  summons  demanded,  or  force 
would  be  used  to  take  possession  of  the  fort.  Having  but  forty-one 
men,  of  whom  only  thirty-three  were  soldiers.  Ward  surrendered  the 
fort,  with  liberty  to  move  off  with  everything  at  12  o'clock  the  next 
day.  That  night  he  was  obliged  to  encamp  within  three  hundred 
yards  of  the  fort,  with  a  friendly  party  of  the  Six  Nations.  Con- 
trecoeur invited  Ward  to  supper,  and  asked  him  many  questions  con- 
cerning the  English  Government,  to  which  he  gave  no  satisfactory  an- 
swer. He  was  also  solicited  to  sell  the  French  some  of  his  carpenter's 
tools,  but  he  declined  to  do  so,  although  offered  "any  money  for 
them."  The  next  day  Ward  marched  with  his  men  for  Redstone 
and  Will's  Creek.  At  the  latter  place  he  met  Col.  Washington,  to 
whom  he  reported  the  affair.  Thus  the  war  commenced  here  which 
closed  in  America,  with  the  surrender  of  Canada  to  the  British,  in 
1760. 

The  French  now  vigorously  set  to  work  and  cleared  the  Ohio 
Valley  of  the  traders,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  from  Pennsylvania, 
confiscating  their  goods,  houses,  and  other  property  at  different 
points.  William  Trent,  George  Croghan,  Robert  Callender,  and 
Michael  Teaff,  were  partners  and  lost  heavily.  In  the  original 
manuscript  account  and  affidavit  attached,  their  losses  aggregated 
over  six  thousand  five  hundred  pounds  sterling.  Among  the  items  of 
interest  are :  One  house  with  stores  about  three  miles  above  Fort  Du- 
quesne,  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  Ohio  above  the  mouth  of  Pine 
Creek,*  with  large  fields  cleared  and  fenced,  with  ten  acres  of  corn, 

*  Where  Sharpsburg  and  Etna  boi-ough  now  stand,  and  where  the 
White  Mingo  and  other  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations  formerly  had  a  village. 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY.  a6r 

which  we  were  obliged  to  leave,  and  the  house  now  in  possession  of  a 
French  trader,  ;!£,'3oo.  Several  large  canoes  and  batteaux  to  carry  on 
a  trade  with  the  several  nations  by  water,  lying  at  the  mouth  of  Pine 
Creek,  of  which  the  French  immediately  took  possession,  ;^8o. 
One  house  with  stores  at  the  Sewickley  bottom,  about  twenty-five 
miles  from  Fort  Duquesne,  up  Youghiogheny,  with  fields  fenced  and 
grain  in  the  ground,  ^300.  One  house  at  the  Logstown,*  twelve 
miles  below  Fort  Duquesne,   on  the  northwest  side  of  the  Ohio, 

Fort  Duquesne, "f  so  named  in  honor  of  the  Marquis  Du  Quesne 
de  Menneville,  Governor  of  Canada,  was  a  strong  fortification  of 
earth  and  wood  stockaded.  It  was  of  inconsiderable  dimensions,  as 
compared  with  Fort  Pitt,  which  afterwards  enclosed  its  site.  During 
its  occupancy  by  the  French,  religious  services  were  held  by  the 
chaplain  in  accordance  with  the  ritual  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
The  register  of  baptisms  and  burials  at  Fort  Duquesne  occurring  in 
the  years  1753,  ^754>  ^^'^  ^7555  is  preserved  at  Montreal  with  the 
French  archives.  Among  them  also  is  the  record  of  the  services  on  the 
occasion  of  the  burial  of  the  Sieur  Marin,  on  the  29th  of  October, 
1753,  at  Fort  Le  Boeuf,  of  which  he  was  commander. 

The  most  conspicuous  name  of  all,  however,  and  one  of  great 
historical  interest,  is  that  of  the  French  Commander  at  Braddock's 
defeat,  Beaujeu.  (Translation.)  ''Mr.  Leonard  (Daniel),  Esq., 
Sieur  de  Beaujeu,  Captain  of  Infantry,  commander  of  the  Fort 
Duquesne,  and  of  the  army,  on  the  9th  day  of  July,  in  the  year 
1755,  and  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  The  same  day,  after 
having  confessed  and  said  his  devotions,  he  was  killed  in  battle  with 
the  English.  His  body  was  interred  on  the  twelfth  of  the  same 
month,  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Fort  Duquesne,  at  the  beautiful  river, 
under  the  title  of  the  Assumption  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  and  also  with 

*  Near  Economy,  eighteen  miles  below  Pittsburgh. 

t  In  1786,  Mr.  Brackenridge  wrote  "  that  the  appearance  of  the  ditch 
and  mound  with  the  salient  bastions  and  angles  remained  overgrown 
with  grass." 

About  fifty  years  ago,  some  workmen  employed  in  excavating  a  cellar 
for  Shiras'  brewery,  at  the  Point,  found  the  remains  of  the  well,  a 
French  offtcer's  saddle,  and  the  stumps  of  a  row  of  oak  palisades,  quite 
sound. 


3b2  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

all  the  usual  ceremonies  by  us,  Priest  Franciscan,  Chaplain  of  the 
King,  and  of  the  above-mentioned  fort.  In  testimony  of  which  we 
have  signed. 

"  Fr.  Denys  Baron, 

P.  F.  Chaplain." 

The  name  in  full  of  Beaujeu  was  Daniel  Hyacinthe  Marie  Lien- 
ard  de  Beaujeu.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Louis  Lienard  Sieur  de 
Beaujeu  and  Therese  Mijean  de  Branssac,  his  wife,  born  in  Montreal, 
August  17,  1 7 1 1 .  The  family  was  originally  from  Dauphine,  France. 
Beaujeu  had  commanded  at  Detroit  and  Niagara,  and  seems  to  have 
succeeded  Contrecoeur  at  Fort  Duquesne. 

With  the  events  of  the  next  four  years  all  are  familiar.  Wash- 
ington's first  campaign,  skirmish  with  and  death  of  •Jumonville,  on 
the  28th  of  May,  1754,  and  the  affair  at  Fort  Necessity;  its 
surrender  on  July  9th,  and  the  retreat  to  Wills  Creek,  and  the 
advance  and  terrible  defeat  of  Braddock's  army  on  the  9th  of 
July,  1755,  followed  by  the  bloody  devastation  of  the  frontier  by 
the  Indians. 

William  Pitt,  the  great  Earl  of  Chatham,  was  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  British  Ministry,  and  under  his  wise  and  energetic  adminis- 
tration the  previous  disasters  to  the  British  arms  were  reversed  both 
in  Europe  and  America.  A  letter  from  London,  in  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Gazette  stated,  "that  the  great  Mr.  Pitt  has  the  preservation  and 
interest  of  the  Colonies  in  America  so  much  at  heart,  that  those 
who  are  not  sufficiently  sensible  of  their  importance  say  '  he  is 
America  mad.'  " 

General  John  Forbes  arrived  in  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1758.  He 
was  a  son  of  Colonel  John  Forbes,  of  Pittencrief,  Fifeshire,  Scot- 
land. In  his  younger  days  he  was  a  physician,  which  profession  he 
left  for  the  army,  in  which,  by  faithful  services,  he  rose  to  high  rank. 
Brave,  firm,  prudent,  and  open  to  information  and  counsel.  At 
this  time  he  was  in  his  forty-ninth  year,  and  in  infirm  health. 

On  the  first  of  June,  the  following  proclamation  by  the  Governor 
appeared  in  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette : 

"  By  the  Honorable  William  Denny,  Esq.,  Lieutenant-Governor 
and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
Counties  of  New  Castle,  Kent,  and  Sussex,  upon  Delaware, 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY.  36j 


"  A   PROCLAMATION. 

"Whereas,  The  Time  is  now  come  when,  by  the  wise  Provi- 
dence of  God,  we,  who  inhabit  these  Colonies,  are  called  upon 
to  make  one  grand  Effort  for  the  Retrievement  of  our  Honour,  and 
the  Preservation  of  our  inestimable  Privileges,  civil  and  religious, 
against  the  insidious  Attempts  of  a  restless  Popish  Enemy,  and 
their  savage  allies  : 

"And  whereas.  It  is  our  Duty  at  all  times,  more  especially  at 
the  Commencement  of  so  interesting  an  undertaking,  to  turn  our 
Eyes  for  Succour  and  Direction  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God 
of  our  Fathers,  who  has  so  often  and  so  signally  interposed  in  Behalf 
of  the  Protestant  Religion  ;  I  have  thought  fit,  by  the  Advice  of  my 
Council,  to  appoint  Friday,  the  Sixteenth  Day  of  June,  next,  to  be 
observed  as  a  Day  of  publick  Fasting,  Prayer,  and  Humiliation, 
before  the  Lord. 

"And  I  do  exhort,  and  strictly  enjoin  all  His  Majesty's  loving 
Subjects  within  the  Province  and  Counties  aforesaid,  to  observe 
the  said  Fast  with  becoming  Reverence  and  Devotion ;  to  abstain 
from  all  servile  Labour  on  that  Day,  and  to  join  in  the  most  fervent 
Supplications  to  Almighty  God  that  He  would  be  pleased,  through 
the  infinite  Merits  and  Intercession  of  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  to 
forgive  us  our  Sins,  both  national  and  private,  to  avert  the  Punish- 
ment justly  due  to  them,  to  check  the  growth  of  Vice  and  Infidelity, 
to  give  Grace  for  Repentance  and  Amendment  of  Manners,  to 
relieve  us  from  the  Calamities  we  groan  under,  and  grant  Success 
to  the  Arms  of  his  Majesty  and  His  Allies,  especially  to  the  several 
Expeditions  now  carrying  on  in  these  Colonies  for  securing  to  us, 
and  our  Posterity,  the  solid  Enjoyment  of  Peace,  Freedom,  and  a 
pure  Religion. 

"And,  lastly,  I  do  recommend  it  to  the  several  Ministers  of  the 
Gospel,  to  compose  Prayers  and  Sermons  suitable  to  the  Occasion, 
to  be  used  in  their  respective  Places  of  Worship  that  day ;  and  par- 
ticularly that  they  would  endeavor  to  inspirit  their  People  with  tnie 
notions  of  Bravery  and  Publick  Spirit,  flowing  from  a  due  Sense  of 
the  Justice  of  our  Cause,  the  many  Blessings  we  enjoy  under  his 
Majesty's  wise  government,  and  His  peculiar  fatherly  Regard,  mani- 
fested on  all  Occasions,  for  the  Protection  of  these  infant  Colonies, 
and  the  Preservation  of  the  Protestant  Interest  in  all  Parts  of- the 
World. 


264  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

"And  I  do  further  require  the  said  Ministers  to  Publish  this 
Proclamation  to  their  respective  Congregations,  immediately  after 
Divine  Service  on  some  of  the  Lord's  Days  preceding  the  said  Fast. 

"GIVEN  under  my  Hand,  and  the  Great  Seal  of  the  said  Pro- 
vince, at  Philadelphia,  this  Thirtieth  Day  of  May,  in  the  Thirty- 
First  Year  of  His  Majesty's  Reign,  and  in  the  Year  of  our  Lord 
One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  Fifty-eight. 

"  William  Denny. 

"  By  His  Honour's  Command  : 

Richard  Peters,  Secretary. 

"  God  Save  the  King." 

After  reviewing  the  troops  at  Philadelphia,  General  Forbes  set 
out  for  Carlisle  in  the  middle  of  June,  the  last  division  of  the  army 
following  on  the  30th,  the  artillery  with  Major  Grant.  The  troops 
numbered  rather  less  than  6,000  men.  Its  success  was  anxiously 
hoped  for,  yet  doubted  by  many,  so  despondent  had  the  people  be- 
come by  the  continued  ravages  of  the  frontier  by  the  savages  and 
French,  from  the  time  of  the  erection  of  Fort  Duquesne. 

Opening  a  new  road  through  the  forests  and  across  the  moun- 
tains, and  bridging  the  numerous  streams  and  swamps,  was  an  ardu- 
ous task,  occasioning  unlooked-for  delays  in  the  march. 

Early  in  September  the  advance  of  the  army  was  at  Ligonier, 
under  Col.  Bouquet.  On  the  nth.  Major  James  Grant,  with  800 
men,  marched  towards  Fort  Duquesne  to  reconnoitre.  Receiving 
information  that  the  French  force  amounted  only  to  about  200  men, 
he  attempted,  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  to  draw  them  out  by  a 
showy  display  of  part  of  his  Highlanders,  posted  on  the  hills,  with 
drums  beating  and  bagpipes  playing.  The  French,  however,  had 
the  day  before  received  a  reinforcement  of  400  men  from  Illinois, 
under  Captain  Aubrey,  commander  in  the  attack  on  Grant,  who 
met  with  a  bloody  defeat  on  the  hill  where  our  Court  House  now 
stands,  and  along  through  the  woods  to  where  the  baggage  was 
kept  with  a  guard — on  the  slope  above  the  Two  Mile  run,  about  the 
junction  of  Butler  Street  and  Penn  Avenue,  Grant  was  captured, 
but  soon  exchanged.  In  1760  he  was  Governor  of  East  Florida. 
He  afterwards  rose  to  high  rank  in  the  British  army,  and  served  in 
it  during  part  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  in  the  battle 
of  Qermantown  and  Monmouth  Court  House ;  at  the  latter  he  com- 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY.  265 

manded,  and  defeated  the  American  General  Lee.  He  died  at  his 
seat  at  Ballendalloch,  near  Elgin,  Scotland,  May  13,  1806,  in  the 
eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  Go- 
vernor of  Stirling  Castle. 

Captain  Aubrey,  the  French  commander,  was  taken  prisoner  the 
next  year  at  Niagara.  He  was  afterwards  Governor  of  the  French 
colony  at  New  Orleans.  Returning  to  France  in  February,  1770, 
he  lost  his  life  by  the  sinking  of  the  vessel  off  the  French  coast,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Garonne.  A  detachment  of  the  French  troops, 
under  Captain  Vitry,  attacked  Ligonier  soon  after  Grant's  disaster, 
but,  after  an  action  of  three  hours,  were  repulsed.  On  Friday,  the 
24th  of  November,  1758,  the  French  commander,  De  Ligneris,  set 
Fort  Duquesne  on  fire  and  abandoned  it.  The  same  night  the  Light 
troops  of  the  army,  under  General  Forbes,  took  possession.  The 
main  body  with  the  General  arrived  the  next  day.  The  place  was 
immediately  named  Pittsburgh,  in  honor  of  William  Pitt.  Sunday, 
the  26th,  was  observed  by  the  General's  orders  as  *'a  Day  of  Public 
Thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God"  for  their  success,  and  the  Rev. 
Charles  Beatty,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  chaplain  to  Col.  Clap- 
ham's  Pennsylvania  regiment,  preached  a  thanksgiving  sermon, 
which,  undoubtedly,  was  the  first  Protestant  or  Presbyterian  sermon 
ever  delivered  west  of  the  mountains.  On  Monday,  the  27th,  the 
troops  had  "a  ^xzxA  feu-de-joie,''  and  on  the  following  day  a  large 
detachment  marched  to  Braddock's  battlefield  to  bury  the  bones  of 
the  soldiers  still  lying  above  ground. 

In  Philadelphia  there  was  great  rejoicing  on  the  receipt  of  the 
ne>vs  of  the  success  of  the  army — illuminations,  bonfires,  and  ringing 
of  bells.  The  Governor  appointed  the  20th  of  December  as  a  day 
of  Thanksgiving. 

General  Forbes  left  Pittsburgh  on  the  3d  of  December,  for  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  did  not  arrive  until  the  1 7th  of  January,  having 
been  detained  on  the  way  by  severe  sickness,  bad  weather  and  roads. 
On  his  arrival  cannon  were  fired  and  the  bells  rung.  He  addressed 
the  following  letter  to  Col.  Bouquet. 

"To  Colonel  Henry  Bouquet,  of  the  Royal  American  Regi- 
ment : 
"Philadelphia,  20th  February,  1759. 
"  Sir  :  General  Forbes,  highly  sensible  of  the  many  fatigues  and 


2b6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

hardships  you  and  your  ofificers  and  the  troops  in  general  under  his 
command  have  underwent  during  the  course  of  the  most  extraordi- 
nary campaign  that  has  happened  in  this  or  any  other  country,  and 
wilUng  at  the  same  time  to  give  some  public  testimony  of  his  appro- 
bation to  the  gentlemen  under  his  command,  has  ordered  me  to 
acquaint  you  and  the  commanding  officers  of  corps  that  he  has 
directed  a  gold  medal  to  be  struck  to  the  following  purpose,  which 
he  hereby  authorizes  the  officers  of  his  army  to  wear  as  an  honorary 
reward  for  their  faithful  services,  and  as  soon  as  an  opportunity 
offers  he  intends  to  inform  His  Majesty  of  it. 

"  In  the  meantime,  your  officers  and  Col.  Montgomery's  may  be 
provided  in  town. 

"The  medal  has  on  one  side  the  representation  of  a  road  cut 
through  an  immense  forest,  over  rocks  and  mountains.  The  motto, 
^Per  tot  Discrimina.^  On  the  other  side,  are  represented  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  Ohio  and  Monongahela  rivers,  a  fort  in  flames  in  the 
forks  of  tlie  river,  and  the  approach  of  Gen.  Forbes,  carried  on  a 
litter,  followed  with  the  army  marching  in  columns  with  cannon. 
The  motto,  '  Ohio  Brittanick  Consilio  Manuque.' 

*'  This  is  to  be  worn  around  the  neck  with  a  dark  blue  ribbon. 

"By  the  General's  command, 

"James  Grant, 
"  Lieut,  in  His  Majesty's  62d  Reg't,  II.  B. 

"  N.B. — General  Forbes  is  of  opinion  that  such  of  our  officers  as 
choose  to  provide  themselves  with  the  above  medal  should  have  a 
copy  of  this  letter,  signed  and  attested  by  you,  as  a  warrant  for 
their  wearing  it. — J.  G." 

General  Forbes  died  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  nth  of  March,  1759, 
in  the  slate-roofed  house  on  Second  Street,  the  residence  of  William 
Penn  in  1700.  He  was  buried  with  unusual  pomp  and  ceremony 
on  the  14th,  in  the  chancel  of  Christ  Church.  The  precise  spot  is 
unknown.     So  distinguished  a  soldier  deserves  a  monument. 

The  first  Fort  Pitt  was  a  small  stockade,  with  bastions,  erected  in 
December,  1758.  It  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  Monongahela  river, 
between  Liberty  and  West  Streets,  within  two  hundred  yards  of 
Fort  Duquesne. 

General  John  Stanwix,  the  successor  of  General  Forbes,  arrived 
at  Pittsburgh  in  August,  1759,  and  on  the  3d  day  of  September  the 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY.  267 

work  of  building  a  "formidable  fortification"  commenced,  in  obe- 
dience to  the  orders  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  William  Pitt. 

Although  occupied  in  1 760,  it  was  not  finished  until  the  summer 
of  1 76 1,  under  Colonel  Bouquet,  who  also  erected  an  additional 
building  in  1764,  the  brick  redoubt  now  standing,  and  the  only 
relic  of  British  domination  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio.  The  stone 
bomb-proof  magazine  was  removed  when  the  Pennsylvania  Railway 
Company  built  their  freight  depot,  in  1852.  Fort  Pitt  occupied  all 
the  ground  between  the  rivers,  Marbury,  now  Third  Street,  West 
Street,  and  part  of  Liberty  Street. 

The  first  town  of  Pittsburgh  was  built  near  the  Fort,  in  1760.  It 
was  divided  into  the  upper  and  lower  town.  In  a  carefully  pre- 
pared list  of  the  houses  and  inhabitants  out  of  the  fort,  made  for 
Col.  Bouquet,  April  15,  1761,  by  Captain  William  Clapham,  and 
headed  "A  return  of  the  number  of  houses,  of  the  names  of  the 
owners,  and  number  of  men,  women,  and  children  in  each  house, 
Fort  Pitt,  April  14,  1761,"  the  number  of  inhabitants  is  two 
hundred  and  thirty-three  men,  women,  and  children,  with  the 
addition  of  ninety-five  officers,  soldiers,  and  their  families  re- 
siding in  the  town,  making  the  whole  number  three  hundred  and 
thirty-two.  Houses,  one  hundred  and  four.  The  lower  town  was 
nearest  the  fort,  the  upper  on  the  higher  ground,  principally  along 
the  bank  of  the  Monongahela,  extending  as  far  as  the  present  Market 
Street.  In  this  list  of  the  early  inhabitants  are  the  names  of  George 
Croghan,  William  Trent,  John  Orrasby,  John  Campbell,  Ephraim 
Blaine,  and  Thomas  Small. 

In  May,  1763,  when  the  Indian  war,  usually  called  Pontiac's 
War,  broke  out,  the  inhabitants  removed  into  the  fort,  and  de- 
stroyed the  town  by  levelling  the  houses  with  the  ground,  that  they 
might  not  give  shelter  to  the  savages  when  making  their  threatened 
attack,  which  soon  commenced,  and  was  renewed  at  intervals,  hap- 
pily unsuccessfully,  until  the  battle  of  JBushy  Run,  on  the  5  th  and 
6th  of  August,  gallantly  fought  and  w6n  by  the  troops  under  Col. 
Bouquet,  who  compelled  the  Indians  to  raise  the  siege  and  retire. 
In  October,  1 764,  Col.  Bouquet,  at  the  head  of  an  army,  made  a 
treaty  of  peace  with  the  assembled  chiefs  of  the  several  Indian  tribes 
at  the  forks  of  the  Muskingum. 

The  second  town  of  Pittsburgh  was  laid  out  in  1 765 ,  by  Col.  John 


268  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENT/ON. 

Campbell,*  by  permission  of  the  commanding  officer  at  Fort  Pitt. 
It  comprised  the  ground  within  Water,  Market,  Second  and  Ferry 
Streets.  Campbell's  plan  of  lots  was  subsequently  incorporated  un- 
altered in  the  survey  made  by  George  Woods  for  the  Penns  in  1784, 
and  is  known  as  the  "Old  Military  Plan."  Two  of  the  houses 
built  on  lots  in  that  plan  are  now  standing  on  Water  Street,  near 
Ferry.  They  are  constructed  of  hewn  logs  weather-boarded.  These, 
with  the  two  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Penn  and  Marbury  (Third) 
Street,  formerly  owned  and  occupied  by  Gen.  Richard  Butler  and 
his  brother.  Col.  William,  are  the  oldest  in  Pittsburgh  or  west  of  the 
Alleghenies.  Of  course  the  old  brick  redoubt  of  Col.  Bouquet,  be- 
tween the  Point  and  Penn  Street,  is  excepted.  It,  however,  was 
not  originally  built  for  a  dwelling-house,  but  as  an  outwork  or  addi- 
tion to  Fort  Pitt. 

Matthew  Clarkson,  a  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  engaged  in  the 
Indian  trade,  arrived  at  Fort  Pitt  on  his  way  to  Fort  Chartres, 
lUinois,  on  the  i8th  day  of  August,  1766.  He  states,  in  his  diary, 
that  on  Sunday,  the  24th,  he  "went  and  heard  Mr.  McCleggan 
preach  to  the  soldiers  in  Erse — but  little  edified.  He  preached 
alternately  one  Sunday  in  that  language  and  the  next  in  English." 
The  diary  records  the  arrival,  on  September  6th,  of  Messrs.  Beatty 
and  Duffield,  the  Presbyterian  ministers  sent  out  on  a  mission  to  the 
Western  Indians  by  the  Synods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

It  continues,  September  7th:  "Mr.  Beatty  preached  this  morn- 
ing in  the  fort,  and  Mr.  Duffield  in  the  town.  Dined  with  them  at 
the  mess.     Afternoon,  went  to  hear  Mr.  Duffield  in  the  town." 

"September  9th.  This  evening  Mr.  Duffield  preached  in  the 
town,  a  very  judicious  and  alarming  discourse." 


*  Col.  John  Campbell  was  an  Irish  gentleman,  described  as  of  fine 
personal  appearance,  large,  of  strong  mind,  but  rough  in  manner.  He 
was  for  a  long  time  a  prisoner  at  Fort  Chambly  in  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. He  was  at  Fort  Pitt  as  a  witness  of  the  Indian  treaty,  on  Septem- 
ber 17th,  1778.  Removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he  owned  a  tract  of  several 
thousand  acres  of  land  at  the  falls  of  Ohio,  on  which  he  laid  out  the 
town  of  Campbellton,  afterwards  Shippingport,  now  part  of  tlie  city  of 
Louisville.  He  was  prominentin  the  early  history  of  Kentucky.  Mem- 
ber of  the  convention  to  form  the  first  constitution  ;  also,  of  the  Senate, 
of  which  he  was  Speaker.  Campbell  county  was  named  in  honor  of 
him.    Died  in  1799. 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY.  26g 

"September  loth.  This  afternoon  Messrs.  Beatty  and  Duffield* 
set  off  on  the  embassy  among  the  Indians." 

P'oremost  among  the  Protestant  Christians  in  the  task  of  convert- 
ing the  Indians  were  the  Moravian  Brethren.  The  mild  endurance 
and  self-sacrificing  spirit  of  Zeizberger,  Heckwelder,  Post,  Roth, 
Ettwein,  Senseman,  and  others  of  that  denomination,  effected  more 
than  the  enthusiastic  zeal  of  the  French  Jesuits  in  the  early  days  of 
Catholic  Missions  in  Canada. 

In  the  heart  of  the  wilderness,  on  the  upper  Allegheny,  near  the 
present  Tionesta,  in  Forest  county,  at  Goschoschunk,  a  village  of 
the  Munsees,  though  in  the  Seneca  country,  David  Zeizberger 
preached  to  the  Indians  in  the  fall  of  1767.  In  the  summer  of  the 
next  year  a  log  mission-house  of  considerable  dimensions  was 
erected.  It  was  dedicated  on  June  30th,  1768.  The  meetings 
were  attended  by  great  numbers  of  the  Indians,  arrayed  in  their  best 
garments,  with  their  faces  painted  black  and  vermillion,  and  heads 
decorated  with  foxtails.  The  missionaries  removed  three  miles 
above,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  with  their  converts  estab- 
lished a  little  village  of  log  huts,  in  1769,  named  Lamunhannek. 
There,  on  September  ist,  they  began  to  build  a  chapel  and  dwelling- 
house,  which  they  inhabited  before  the  winter,  and  consecrated  the 
chapel,  in  which  was  hung  a  bell  sent  from  from  Bethlehem,  and  for 
the  first  time  the  valley  of  the  Allegheny  echoed  "  the  sound  of  the 
church-going  bell." 

In  December  ^converts  were  baptized.  The  next  year  it  was 
deemed  expedient  to  remove  further  west.  In  April,  1770,  the 
missionaries  with  their  converts,  in  fifteen  canoes,  descended  the 
Allegheny  to  Pittsburgh,  where  the  people  of  the  town  and  garrison 
were  surprised  at  the  unusual  sight  of  Christian  Indians.  They  pro- 
ceeded down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Beaver,  where,  on  the  east  side, 
five  miles  below  the  present  New  Castle,  on  the  site  of  a  former  Wy- 
andotte village,  they  made  their  encampment.  After  a  few  months, 
they  removed  to  the  west  side  of  the  river,  a  high  steep  bank  or 

*  Mr.  Charles  Beatty  was  long  a  distinguished  member  of  the  early 
Presbyterian  Church  of  this  State.  His  journal  of  his  tour  to  the  West 
was  published  in  London,  in  1768.  It  is  very  interesting,  and  shoold  bo 
reprinted,  with  a  full  biography  of  the  author. 

The  Rev.  George  Duffield  of  Carlisle. 


270  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

table  land  of  about  five  acres  in  extent,  now  in  North  Beaver  town- 
ship, Lawrence  county,  near  Moravia  station,  on  the  Pittsburgh  and 
Erie  Railway.  There  they  built  a  regular  formed  village  of  about 
25  or  30  log-houses,  with  stone  chimneys,  a  number  of  which  were 
standing  forty  years  ago.  A  log  church  was  erected  and  dedicated 
June  20,  1 7  71,  at  which  time  the  Mission  numbered  one  hundred 
persons.  In  June  and  August,  1772,  they  received  large  accessions 
to  the  colony  by  the  arrival  of  Ettwein  and  Roth,  with  the  converts 
from  Wyalusing,  now  in  Bradford  county,  on  the  Susquehanna. 
Close  by  the  town  ran  the  old  Indian  path  from  Soh-kon,  at  the 
mouth  of  Beaver,  to  the  noted  Indian  town  Kuskuske,  nine  miles 
above  the  Moravian  village,  and  where  Edenburg  now  stands  in 
Lawrence  county,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Mahoning.  The  Indians 
were  averse  to  the  mission,  but  restrained  from  hostilities  by  the 
influence  of  George  Croghan.  Their  threatening  conduct,  however, 
determined  the  brethren  to  remove  to  the  Tuscarawas  river,  in  the 
spring  of  1773.  Some  blackened  ashes  of  the  smith-shop  alone  re- 
main to  mark  the  spot  on  the  banks  of  the  Beaver,  where  once  stood 
Friedenstadt,  or  the  City  of  Peace. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  1770,  Col.  George  Washington  arrived 
at  Pittsburgh,  on  his  way  to  examine  the  lands  on  the  Upper  Ohio, 
and  great  Kanawha.  In  the  journal  of  his  tour  he  mentions  lodg- 
ing,* while  here,  "in  what  is  called  the  town,  distant  about  three 
hundred  yards  from  the  Fort."  The  houses,  which  are  built  of  logs, 
and  ranged  "  in  streets,  are  on  the  Monongahela,  and,  I  suppose, 
may  be  about  twenty  in  number,  and  inhabited  by  Indian  traders." 

The  Rev.  Daniel  McClure,  a  missionary,  who  visited  the  Indians 
on  the  Muskingum,  in  the  summer  of  1772,  relates  in  his  journal 
that  he  "  tarried  about  three  weeks  at  Pittsburgh,  and  preached 
several  times  to  the  people  of  the  village,  who  lived  in  about  thirty 
log-houses ;  and  also  to  the  British  garrison  in  the  Fort,  a  few  rods 
distance,  at  the  request  of  the  commanding  officer.  Major  Edmund- 
stone." 

In  1774,  after  about  ten  years  of  peace  with  the  Indians,  the  war 
with  the  Shawanese,  usually  known  as  Dunmore's  War,  broke  out, 


*  At  (Samuel)  "Semple's,  who  keeps  a  very  good  house  of  public  en- 
tertainment."   It  stood  on  the  east  corner  of  Water  and  Ferry  Streets. 


PITTSBURGH  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY.  271 


directly  occasioned  by  the  infamous  massacre  of  the  family  of  Logan, 
the  celebrated  chief,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Yellow  Creek  (near  the 
present  town  of  Wellsville,  Ohio),  and  other  outrages  on  the  frontier. 
Such  was  the  opinion  and  sworn  statement  of  General  Richard  But- 
ler, a  most  competent  judge.  Thenceforward  there  was  no  general 
peace  with  all  the  tribes  until  after  Wayne's  victory,  in  1794.  This 
year  was  one,  also,  of  unusual  trouble  and  trial  to  the  settlers  at  Pitts- 
burgh and  the  southwestern  part  of  Pennsylvania.  The  territory 
was  claimed  by  Virginia,  whose  jurisdiction  the  Governor,  Lord 
Dunmore,  attempted  by  violent  measures  to  enforce.  Fort  Pitt  was 
seized  by  a  band  of  his  armed  partizans,  headed  by  Dr.  John  Con- 
nolly, who  named  the  fort  Dunmore.  Civil  officers  were  commis- 
sioned by  the  Virginia  authorities,  court-houses  erected,  and  Vir- 
ginia courts  regularly  held  within  the  limits  of  Westmoreland  (now 
Allegheny)  and  Washington  counties.  The  people  were  divided  in 
their  allegiance ;  arrests  and  counter-arrests  followed.  Arthur  St. 
Clair  wrote  to  Gov.  Penn  that  the  Pennsylvanians  were  determined 
to  abandon  Pittsburgh,  unless  matters  should  be  soon  settled,  and 
that  "  it  will  be  absolutely  necessary  to  erect  a  town  at  the  Kittan- 
ning ;  the  trade  must  else  take  its  course  by  the  Lakes,  which  will 
carry  it  quite  away  from  this  Province."  After  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  broke  out,  a  recommendation  from  Congress  abated  the 
civil  strife,  and  the  controversy  finally  closed  in  favor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania by  the  completion  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line,  in  1 784,  the 
present  boundary. 

Passing  over,  on  this  occasion,  the  period  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  with  the  observation  that  the  people  of  Western  Pennsylvania 
were  unexcelled  by  those  of  any  other  section  in  the  Colonial  Union 
in  patriotic  zeal  and  active  resistance  to  the  oppressive  measures  of 
the  mother  country;  furnishing  men  and  supplies  for  the  Conti- 
nental armies,  although  their  families  and  frontier  homes  were  ex- 
posed to  the  frequent  incursions  of  the  neighboring  savage  allies  of 
Great  Britain. 

Penn's  Manor  of  Pittsburgh  was  originally  surveyed  in  Feb- 
ruary and  March,  1769.  It  contained  5,766  acres.  In  May  and 
June,  1784,  George  Woods  and  Thomas  Vickroy,  of  Bedford,  sur- 
veyors, by  direction  of  Tench  Francis,  of  Philadelphia,  agent  of  the 
proprietaries,  laid  out  the  town  of  Pittsburgh,  and  divided  the  resi- 


272  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

due  of  the  manor  into  out-lots  and  farms.  By  the  original  plan, 
four  lots,  forming  the  square  between  Smithfield,  Second,  and  Third 
Streets  and  Cherry  Alley,  were  dedicated  for  the  purposes  of  an 
academy. 

Five  contiguous  lots  fronting  on  Sixth  Street  were  dedicated  to 
religious  uses,  and  were  subsequently  divided  equally  between  the 
Presbyterians  and  the  Episcopalians. 

At  this  time  all  the  country  north  and  west  of  the  Ohio  and  Alle- 
gheny rivers,  to  the  Western  line  of  the  State,  was  claimed  and 
occupied  by  different  tribes  of  Indians,  whose  title  thereto  was  ex- 
tinguished by  deed  to  the  State  from  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations, 
for  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars,  at  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix, 
New  York,  October  23,  1784;  and  by  deed  from  the  chiefs  of  the 
Wyandots  and  Delawares,  for  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars,  at 
the  treaty  held  at  Fort  Mcintosh  (now  Beaver),  January  21,  1785. 
In  1786  the  population  of  Pittsburgh  was  less  than  four  hundred 
persons.  It  contained  about  one  hundred  log  houses,  one  of  stone 
and  one  frame,  and  five  small  stores.  On  the  29th  of  July  of  that 
year,  the  first  number  of  the  Pittsburgh  Gazette  was  printed.  It 
was  the  first  newspaper  published  west  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE   FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  IN  PITTSBURGH. 

In  the  General  Assembly  at  Philadelphia,  on  Monday,  December 
4,  1786,  the  bill  for  disposing  of  the  lands,  and  laying  out  a  town 
thereon,  opposite  to  Pittsburgh,  was  read  a  second  time  and  con- 
sidered by  paragraphs.  The  clause  which  reserved  some  lots  for 
building  a  court  house,  jail,  and  market  house  on  was  proposed  to 
be  amended  by  adding,  "and  lots  for  a  church  and  burying  ground." 

Mr.  Fitzsimmons  opposed  this,  because  it  did  not  describe  the 
particular  society  they  were  intended  for. 

Mr.  Brackenridge*  facetiously  replied  that  the  religion  at  Pitts- 

*Hugh  Henry  Brackenridsje  was  born  in  Scotland,  in  1748.  Came  to 
America  when  a  child  with  his  parents,  who  settled  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  York  comity.  Entered  Princeton  College  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
and,  after  graduating,  was  for  some  time  a  tntor.  Studied  divinity  and 
was  licensed  to  preach.  In  1777  he  was  chaplain  to  a  regiment  in  the 
Continental  army.  Studied  law  under  Judge  Chase  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States.  He  came  to  Pittsburgh  in  1781.  In  1780  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature.    In  1792  the  first  two  volumes 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  PITTSBURGH.  273 

burgh  was  a  true  Catholicism.  There  was  but  one  church  there, 
and  every  one  went  to  it,  never  inquiring  into  the  rehgion  of  others. 
He  supposed  if  they  were  so  harmonized  while  living,  they  would 
not  be  apt  to  quarrel  when  dead  for  only  being  laid  alongside  of 
one  another. 

Some*  further  conversation  passed,  and  it  was  agreed  to  insert 
"house  of  worship  and  burying  ground,"  after  which  the  bill  was 
ordered  to  be  printed  for  public  consideration. 

"On  Tuesday,  December  12,  1786,  agreeably  to  leave  given  for 
that  purpose,  a  member  read  in  his  place  a  bill  entitled  'An  act  to 
incorporate  a  religious  Christian  society  at  the  town  of  Pittsburgh, 
in  the  county  of  Westmoreland,  at  this  time  under  the  pastoral  care 
of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Barr,'  and  having  presented  the  said  bill  to  the 
chair,  it  was  read  the  first  time  and  ordered  to  lie  on  the  table." 
The  same  day  Mr.  Brackenridge  called  for  the  second  reading  of  the 
bill  for  incorporating  the  Presbyterian  congregation  at  Pittsburgh. 

While  the  clauses  were  under  consideration,  Mr.  Brackenridge 
moved  to  amend  by  striking  out  "  Presbyterian  Congregation,"  and 
inserting  "Religious  Society." 

;Mr.  Wynkoop  was  against  the  amendments.  He  thought  it 
behooved  them  to  choose  a  religion  before  they  applied  to  be  incor- 
porated ;  and  wording  it  in  so  loose  a  manner  would  give  rise  to 
future  quarrels  and  bickerings. 

Mr.  Brackenridge  insisted  upon  the  amendment,  for  they  were 
not  a  Presbyterian  congregation  to  his  knowledge;  they  had  no 
particular  church  government.  They  had  but  one  clergyman,  a 
gentleman  of  reputation,  and  a  good  preacher.  There  was  no  other 
of  that  place  except  a  German,  but  then  he  did  not  preach  in 
English. 

of  his  celebrated  work,  «« Modern  Chivalry,"  was  published  at  Philadel- 
phia ;  the  third  volume  was  published  at  Pittsburgh,  in  1793.  It  was 
printed  at  the  office  of  the  Pittsburgh  Gazette,  by  John  Scull,  and  was 
the  tirst  book  printed  and  published  west  of  the  mountains.  The  fourth 
and  last  volume  was  not  published  until  1797,  at  Philadelphia,  the 
Whiskey  Insurrection  having  occurred,  in  which  Mr.  Brackenridge 
was  accused  of  bearing  an  equivocal  part,  and  he  afterwards— in  1795 — 
wrote  a  book  to  exculpate  himself.  He  was  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  for  sixteen  years,  to  the  time  of  his  death  at  Carlisle,  in 
1816.  He  was  a  man  of  great  scholastic  and  legal  attainments,  eccentric* 
witty,  and  independent. 
S 


274  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


He  observed  that  if  a  division  took  place  among  the  inhabitants, 
it  would  be  in  consequence  of  styling  it  a  Presbyterian  congregation; 
they  would  be  unable  to  support  that  one,  the  loss  of  which  would 
be  great,  as  it  was  of  the  highest  use  in  keeping  up  order,  and 
enforcing  the  practice  of  morality,  an  object  he  (Mr.  Brackenridge) 
had  much  at  heart.  Therefore  he  was  guarded  against  making 
such  a  distribution  when  he  drew  up  the  petition  upon  which  the 
bill  was  founded. 

He  had  no  objection  to  allowing  it  to  be  a  Christian  Church  wherein 
the  gospel  was  preached ;  this  would  have  the  approbation  of  the 
people  there,  for  no  one  dare  use  the  word  Presbyterian,  or  Church 
of  England,  there — they  have  no  such  distinction.  As  for  choosing 
our  religion,  he  thought  it  an  affront.  Choose  our  religion  I  It  is 
not  a  thousand  articles  of  faith  that  constitute  religion  ;  and  we 
have  chosen  it — it  is  the  Christian.  But  as  for  the  mode  of  church 
government,  Presbyterian  or  Episcopal,  we  have  no  thought  of  it. 

Our  clergymen  may  belong  to  some  clerical  body.  For  all  we 
know  he  may  have  received  orders  from  the  Pope  or  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  or  have  taken  it  up  of  his  own  accord,  but  how  or 
which  way  he  became  a  minister  is  no  part  of  our  inquiry;  it  lies 
with  himself.  In  the  15  th  and  i6th  centuries  much  noise  was  made 
about  this  government,  and  about  some  obscure  and  minute  points 
of  faith,  but  that  cloud  of  darkness  has  passed  away,  and  in  this 
enlightened  age  we  smile  at  their  frensies.  It  is  a  principle  now  of 
our  creed,  that  whatever  clergyman  of  good  reputation  and  morality 
comes  among  us,  he  be  permitted  the  use  of  our  church ;  and  Mr. 
Penn,  •  the  proprietor  of  the  Pittsburgh  manor,  would  give  them 
three  or  four  lots  for  their  accommodation,  if  they  were  incorporated ; 
but  he  supposed  Mr.  Penn  did  not  care  what  the  religious  society  was 
denominated.  In  short  he  would  rather  the  bill  should  not  pass 
than  suffer  the  words  "  Presbyterian  congregation"  to  remain. 

Mr.  Findley  wished  to  comply  with  the  desire  of  the  inhabitants ; 
therefore,  if  the  bill  was  published  as  amended,  the  House  could 
hereafter  ascertain  whether  it  was  agreeable  or  no.  Not  that  he  had 
the  least  doubt  of  what  the  gentleman  had  advanced,  for,  as  he 
(Mr.  Brackenridge)  resided  at  that  place,  he  surely  was  best  able  to 
speak  the  sense  of  the  people. 

Here  an  inquiry  as  to  how  this  bill  came  on  the  files  of  the  House 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  PITTSBURGH.  275 

took  place,  and  it  appeared  it  was  brought  forward  from  the  files  of  the 
former  House,  where  it  had  one  reading,  which  being  improper,  Mr. 
Brackenridge  took  it  back  and  desired  leave  to  present  it ;  then  it 
was  read  a  first  time,  and  ordered  to  lie  on  the  table ;  but,  first,  Mr. 
Brackenridge  made  the  alterations  he  had  proposed  of  styling  it  the 
Religious  Christian  Society,  at  this  time  under  the  pastoral  care  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Barr,  at  Pittsburgh. 

On  Thursday,  the  14th,  the  bill  was  read  the  second  time  and 
debated  by  paragraphs. 

Ordered  that  it  be  transcribed,  and  in  the  meantime  printed  for 
public  consideration. 

In  the  Assembly,  on  the  21st  of  September,  1787,  "The  bill  en- 
titled *An  Act  to  Incorporate  a  Religious  Christian  Society  of  the 
Town  of  Pittsburgh,  in  the  county  of  Westmoreland,  at  this  time  under 
the  care  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Barr.' "  Read  the  second  time  Decem- 
ber 15th  last,  was  read  the  third  time,  and  the  several  paragraphs 
fully  debated. 

It  was  then  moved  by  Mr.  Findley,  and  seconded  by  Mr.  White- 
hill,  to  strike  out  from  the  title  of  the  said  bill  the  words  "  a  Reli- 
gious Christian  Society,"  and  in  lieu  thereof  to  insert  "The  Pres- 
byterian Congregation,"  and  on  the  question,  will  the  House  agree 
to  the  proposed  amendment?  it  was  carried  in  the  affirmative. 

Ordered  that  the  bill  be  engrossed,  for  the  purpose  of  being  en- 
acted into  a  law. 

The  bill  passed  finally  on  the  29th  of  September,  1787,  with  the 
title,  "  An  Act  to  Incorporate  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  the 
Town  of  Pittsburgh  and  the  vicinity  thereof,  in  the  County  of  West- 
moreland." 

On  the  24th  of  the  same  month,  the  trustees  received  a  patent 
from  "John  Penn,  Jr.,  and  John  Penn,  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
and  late  proprietors  of  Pennsylvania,  for  two  lots  in  Wood's  plan, 
being  lots  438  and  439  and  half  of  lot  437  (the  remainder  of  which 
is  conveyed  for  the  use  of  the  Episcopal  Church),  for  the  nominal 
consideration  of  five  shillings,  as  well  as  of  the  laudable  inclination 
which  they  have  for  encouraging  and  promoting  morality,  piety,  and 
religion  in  general,  and  more  especially  in  the  to\vn  of  Pittsburgh." 

The  lot  No.  440,  fronting  on  Wood  Street,  from  Sixth  Street  to 
Virgin  Alley,  was  not  included  in  the  gift  of  the  Penns ;  it  was  pa- 


27b  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

tented  in  December,  1787,  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Barr,  and  the  title 
vested  in  the  trustees  in  1802. 

The  first  building,  "a  church  of  squared  timber  and  moderate 
dimensions,"  was  erected  in  the  summer  of  1786.  It  was  the  first 
built  in  Pittsburgh,  and  the  only  one  for  about  sixteen  years. 

The  leading  man  and  "main  pillar"  of  this  church  for  many 
years  from  the  beginning  was  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  citizens  of 
the  State,  John  Wilkins,  Sr.  He  was  born  June  i,  1733,  in  Done- 
gal township,  Lancaster  county,  where  he  was  (as  he  afterwards 
wrote)  educated  in  the  principles  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
removed  to  Carlisle  in  1763,  and  was  a  member  of  the  church  there. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  he  was  among  the  first  captains 
in  the  State  to  organize  a  company  of  militia.  Residing  tempora- 
rily in  Bedford  county,  he  was  there  elected  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention to  form  a  State  Constitution.  He  was  commissioned  cap- 
tain in  the  Continental  army  in  1776,  by  Washington,  and  enlisted 
and  furnished  a  company  at  his  own  expense.  He  was  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Brandy  wine  and  Germantown.  After  leaving  the  army  he 
farmed  and  kept  a  tavern  and  store  at  Carlisle,  where  he  lost  large 
sums  by  the  great  depreciation  of  Continental  money.  He  removed  to 
Pittsburgh,  in  November,  1783,  with  a  stock  of  goods,  and  opened  a 
store  on  the  lot  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Fourth  and  Wood  Streets, 
where  he  built  a  dwelling-house  and  resided  until  his  death  (on  Decem- 
ber nth,  1809).  When  he  came  to  Pittsburgh — as  he  long  afterwards 
wrote — there  was  no  church,  market,  or  borough  organization,  of  all 
of  which  he  urged  the  necessity.  "A  Presbyterian  congregation 
soon  organized,  George  Wallace  and  myself  appointed  to  collect 
subscriptions  and  superintend  the  building.  He  left  it  nearly  all  to 
me.  I  worked  at  it  with  my  own  hands,  and  with  assistants  chunked 
and  daubed  it.  I  settled  with  the  trustees  October  23d,  1793." 
Mr.  Wilkins  was  one  of  the  first  elders  of  the  church.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Associate  Justice  of  the  Common  Pleas  at  the  organization 
of  the  county,  Chief  Burgess  of  the  borough  of  Pittsburgh,  Commis- 
sioner of  Public  Buildings,  and  County  Treasurer  from  1794  to 
1803. 

The  second  building  was  of  brick.  It  was  completed  in  1805, 
as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  advertisement  in  October  of  that 
year : 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.  PITTSBURGH.  ^77 

"  The  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  congregation  of  Pittsburgh  will 
attend  at  the  new  meeting  house,  on  Monday,  the  28th  inst.,  to  let 
the  pews. — John  Wilkins,  President." 

A  considerable  debt  encumbering  the  church,  resort  was  had  to  a 
measure  common  at  that  time,  but  long  since  abandoned,  of  raising 
money  by  lottery.  An  act  of  Assembly  was  passed,  and  the  follow- 
ing notice  was  published : 

"BY   AUTHORITY. 

"  Scheme  of  a  lottery  for  raising  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars, 
for  defraying  the  expense  of  furnishing  the  Presbyterian  church,  in 
the  borough  of  Pittsburgh :  ;^  1,5 00  in  prizes;  1,213  prizes;  1,787 
blanks,  less  than  a  blank  to  a  prize;  ^5  a  ticket.  Prizes  thirty 
days  after  drawing ;  if  not  demanded  within  twelve  months,  con- 
sidered relinquished  to  the  church.  One  prize  of  $800,  the  highest, 
and  one  thousand  prizes  of  $6,  the  lowest.  (Only  part  of  the 
advertisement.) 

John  Wilkins,      '\ 

John  Johnston,   V  Managers. 

William  Porter,  ) 

"Notice — Owing  to  John  Wilkins'  indisposition,  the  Presbyterian 
Church  Lottery  is  postponed  until  the  first  Monday  of  November 
next. 

' '  The  Commissioners  commenced  drawing  the  Presbyterian 
Church  Lottery  on  the  2d  of  this  month,  and  continued  three  days, 
when  the  following  prizes  were  drawn  :  No.  43,  $500.  The  highest 
prize  is  yet  in  the  wheel — i  of  $800 — so  the  wheel  is  rich.  The 
Commissioners  will  draw  on  Thursday  next,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  in  the  grand  jury  room  in  the  court-house.  Tickets  may 
be  had  of  the  Commissioners.  John  Wilkins,  John  Johnston,  Com- 
missioners. 

"SECOND  CLASS   SCHEME  OF  A  LOTTERY 

in  raising  part  of  the  sum  of  $3,000,  for  defraying  the  expenses  of 
furnishing  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  borough  of  Pittsburgh : 
I  prize  of  $1,000,  i  of  $500,  3  of  $250,  2  of  $200,  10  of  $100,  n 
of  $50,  3  of  $20.  The  prizes  to  be  paid  within  the  time  limited  by 
law ;  those  not  demanded  within  twelve  months  considered  relin- 
quished to  the  church. 


278 


PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


"Tickets  to  be  had  of  the  managers,  at  the  different  printing 
offices,  and  of  the  following  persons : 

"  Isaac  Craig,  James  O'Hara,  James  Riddle,  John  Irwin  (mer- 
chant), James  Gibson,  Steele  Semple,  Philip  Gilland,  Thos.  Baird, 
Wm.  Anderson,  Wm.  Steele,  Wm.  McCuUough,  E.  Denny,  Boyle 
Irwin,  Jas.  Irwin,  Alex.  McLaughlin,  John  Darragh,  Esq.,  Jas.  B. 
Clow,  Wm.  Wilkins,  Alex.  Johnston,  James  Adams,  Robert  Spencer, 
Andrew  Willock,  George  Robinson,  Esq.,  Wm.  McCandless,  Esq., 
Robert  Knox,  James  Robinson,  Esq.,  William  Woods,  Esq.,  John 
Finley,  James  Sample,  Esq.,  George  Sutton,  Henry  Fulton,  Alex. 
Hill,  Jacob  Negley,  John  Fulton,  Jacob  Beltzhoover,  William  Gra- 
ham, Peter  Mowry,  Thomas  Jones." 

The  following  is  an  exact  copy  of  one  of  the  tickets : 


No.  2,155. 

PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  LOTTERY. 

NO.  2,155  AUTHORIZED  BY  LAW. 

This  Ticket  will  entitle  the  possessor  to 
such  prizes  as  shall  be  drawn  to  its  number, 
if  demanded  within  twelve  months  after  the 
drawing,  subject  to  twenty  per  cent,  deduc- 
tion. 

Pittsburgh,  June  3,  1807. 

JNO.  WILKINS. 
President  of  the  Board  of  Managers. 


Note. — Many  acts  of  Assembly  were  passed  in  the  first  quarter  of  the 
present  century,  authorizing  lotteries  to  raise  money  in  aid  of  churches, 
school  houses,  turnpike  roads,  bridges,  etc.,  throughout  the  State. 


ADDENDUM. 

Pittsburghers  especially  will  appreciate  the  curious  and  interesting 
information  which  Mr.  Darlington  has  given  in  the  foregoing  article 
concerning  the  early  history  of  their  city ;  but  the  members  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  will  not  be  proud  of  this  record,  so  far  as 
the  story  of  the  lottery  is  concerned.  But  such,  unhappily,  is  the 
truth  of  history.  And,  as  further  illustrative  of  the  low  state  of 
religion  in  the  town  of  Pittsburgh  in  those  early  days,  and  of  the 
good  work  accomplished  there  by  the  Rev.  Francis  Herron,  D.D., 
it  is  thought  proper  to  add  here  the  following  facts,  as  given  in  Dr. 
Paxton's  Memorial  Discourse. 


'—U.   JU  JK/iUt  ^*'  "'' 


^^ka/H^  ^^2S>t^ 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  PITTSBURGH.  zjg 

Dr.  Herron  took  charge  of  this  church  in  May,  1811.  "The 
church  was  found  to  be  in  an  ahuost  hopeless  state  of  pecuniary 
embarrassment ;  but  far  worse  than  this,  religion,  by  a  large  portion 
of  the  people,  was  utterly  discarded,  and  with  many  of  its  professors 
had  little  more  than  the  semblance  of  form."  In  order  to  remedy 
the  latter  evil,  one  of  the  measures  adopted  by  the  (then)  young 
pastor  was  the  organization  of  a  prayer-meeting.  ' '  But  in  this  he 
met  with  discouragement,  even  from  the  best  of  his  people,  and 
open  and  determined  hostility  from  others.  It  was  altogether  a 
novelty,  an  outgrowth,  they  said,  of  fanaticism,  Methodism,  etc. 
Fathers  and  husbands  prohibited  their  wives  and  daughters  from 
attending."  "  For  eighteen  months,  with  the  assistance  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Hunt,  the  pastor  of  the  Second  Church,  the  meeting  was 
continued,  with  an  attendance  of  one  solitary  man,  six  females,  and 
the  two  pastors.  The  two  church  sessions  could  furnish  but  one 
praying  elder."  "  Finally,  Dr.  Herron  was  waited  upon  and  told 
that  this  extravagance  could  not  be  endured,  and  that  a  stop  must 
be  put  to  these  meetings  at  once.  To  this  he  replied,  with  that  im- 
perial majesty  so  characteristic  of  the  man  :  <  Gentlemen,  these 
meetings  will  not  stop.  You  are  at  liberty  to  do  as  you  please ;  but 
I  also  have  the  liberty  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of 
my  conscience,  none  daring  to  molest  or  make  me  afraid.'  From 
that  hour  the  opposition  began  to  abate.  The  prayer-meeting  gra- 
dually increased,  and  the  cause  of  religion  in  this  chiurch  began  to 
prosper." 

The  pecuniary  difficulties  of  the  church  became  so  great  that  at 
last  the  church  building  was  sold  by  the  sheriff.  Dr.  Herron  bought 
it  in  in  his  own  name;  sold  off  a  small  portion  of  the  property; 
paid  off  ev^ry  debt  and  incumbrance  upon  the  church ;  re-conveyed 
the  residue  of  the  ground  to  the  congregation  ;  and  in  July,  181 4, 
three  years  from  the  commencement  of  his  ministry,  reported  ^180 
of  surplus  money  in  the  treasury.  Let  those  who  may  be  disposed 
to  laugh  over  the  lottery  story  set  this  over  against  it. 

All  these,  together  with  many  other  interesting  details  of  the  early 
history  of  this  church,  will  no  doubt  be  given  at  length  in  the  His- 
torical Discourse  which  is  in  preparation,  as  we  learn,  by  the  present 
worthy  pastor,  Rev.  S.  F.  Scovel,  D.D. 

A.  W. 

March,  1876. 


PITTSBURGH  LONG  AGO. 


{Fr&m  the  Pittsburgh  Evening  Telegraph  of  Dee.  11, 1875.) 


An  important  portion  of  the  people  of  this  section  are  just  now 
particularly  interested  in  their  ancestral  history,  in  the  circumstances 
and  conditions  which  surrounded  the  pioneers  of  civilization  in 
Western  Pennsylvania.  Interesting  and  instructive  papers  on  the 
subject,  prepared  for  the  Memorial  Convention  now  in  session  in 
Pittsburgh,  have  already  appeared  in  the  Telegraph.  It  occurs  to 
us  that  readers  may  be  pleased,  through  the  eyes  of  an  intelligent 
foreigner,  to  catch  a  few  more  glimpses  of  this  western  country,  and 
especially  of  Pittsburgh,  as  they  appeared  nearly  a  hundred  years 
ago. 

John  David  Schoepf,  M.D.,  was  attached,  in  the  quality  of  a  mili- 
tary surgeon,  to  the  German  troops  employed  in  America  by  the 
British  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  During  several  years  of  the 
struggle  he  was  stationed  on  Long  Island  and  in  New  York,  and  on 
the  return  of  peace,  having  obtained  permission  of  his  sovereign,  he 
spent  nearly  two  entire  years  in  traveling  through  the  United  States. 
He  was  a  learned  naturalist  as  well  as  physician,  and  he  possessed 
many  other  qualifications  of  a  very  good  traveler.  It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  his  travels  have  not  been  translated,  a  regret  expressed 
by  the  Nation  lately  when  noticing  an  essay  by  him  on  North 
American  diseases,  which  an  eminent  Boston  physician  has  recently 
translated  and  published. 

Dr.  Schoepf  visited  Pittsburgh  in  the  summer  of  1783,  and  he  ap- 
pears to  have  been  the  first  person  who  ever  crossed  the  mountains 
in  a  carriage.  At  any  rate,  he  states  that  on  arriving  in  the  town, 
not  himself,  but  his  vehicle,  was  evidently  the  chief  object  of  curio- 
sity to  the  "many  well  dressed  gentlemen  and  highly  adorned 
ladies"  whom  he  encountered  at  the  tavern  to  which  he  was  con- 
ducted. The  reason,  he  says,  was  that  to  make  the  entire  journey 
in  a  carriage  (karriol  he  calls  it)  was  a  feat  up  to  that  time  deemed 
as  good  as  impossible.     He  adds  that  as  he  drove  past  lonely  dwel- 

280 


PITTSBURGH  LONG  AGO.                               •      2St 
— — I 

lings  in  the  wilderness,  his  karriol  caused  intense  excitement  among 
the  inhabitants,  mothers  calling  their  children  together  to  behold  a 
thing  they  had  never  before  seen.  The  most  respectable  tavern  of 
Pittsburgh  Dr.  Schoepf  describes  as  a  small,  crookedly  built,  wooden 
structure — a  cabin,  in  fact — on  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela,  of 
which  the  outside  promised  very  little,  but  he  was  reassured  by  the 
appearance  of  the  aforesaid  gentlemen  and  ladies. 

The  traveler  confesses  himself  rather  disappointed  in  his  long 
westward  journey  by  the  absence  of  such  sights  as  are  usually  ex- 
pected in  a  mountainous  country ;  no  extraordinary  natural  pheno- 
mena, no  waterfalls,  no  towering  cliffs,  no  frightful  abysses  were 
seen.  What  seemed  to  him  most  noteworthy  were  the  continuous, 
unbroken  forest  for  the  distance  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
from  Carlisle,  and  the  singular  uniformity  of  the  forest,  the  same 
kinds  of  trees  and  vegetation  stretching  along  without  interruption. 
Few  birds  were  seen,  and  all  wild  animals  were  of  course  frightened 
out  of  view  by  the  noise  of  the  vehicle.  He  did  see  one  young 
bear,  which  unexpectedly  dropped,  like  a  clod,  from  a  tree  by  the 
roadside,  and  tumbled  off  into  the  woods  as  fast  as  it  could  go.  He 
even  saw  no  snakes,  though  occasionally  hearing  of  the  copperbelly 
and  the  moccasin. 

The  civil  and  political  history  of  Pittsburgh  to  the  time  of  his 
visit.  Dr.  Schoepf  relates  with  entire  accuracy,  we  believe,  but  to  re- 
peat any  of  his  details,  interesting  as  they  are,  would  be  carrying 
owls  to  Athens.  His  statement  that  the  first  stone  house  was  built 
during  the  summer  of  his  visit,  and  his  confident  prediction  that 
many  more  good  buildings  must  soon  be  in  the  place,  as  it  was  cer- 
tainly destined  to  be  a  great  and  important  town,  may  be  worthy 
of  mention.  So,  also,  his  statement  that  the  village  contained 
neither  a  house  for  public  worship  nor  a  house  for  the  administra- 
tion of  justice.  "There  resides  there,  however,"  he  adds,  "  a  Ger- 
man preacher  who  ministers  to  all  of  the  same  faith ;  and  once  or 
twice  every  year  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  sends  thither  a  judge  to 
administer  justice." 

Dr.  Schoepf  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  the  general  charac- 
ter of  the  Pittsburghers.  That  they  are  poor,  seems  to  him  the  pro- 
per result  of  their  circumstances,  but  he  asserts  that  they  are  also  ex- 
tremely lazy  and  inactive.     Still  worse,  he  states  that  they  are  dis- 


282       ■  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


satisfied  when  anybody  offers  them  an  opportunity  by  labor  to  earn 
money,  for  which,  however,  they  are  ravenously  greedy  {heisshun- 
grig).  It  was,  it  seems,  a  universal  complaint — the  justice  of  which 
the  German  traveler  verified  by  experience — that  every  insignificant 
article  made  or  prepared  here  was  much  dearer  than  the  same  thing 
even  in  Philadelphia  ;  that  the  people  here  did  not  seek  to  become 
rich  through  industry  and  moderate  prices,  but  by  extorting  from 
strangers  and  travelers  at  once  as  much  as  possible,  and  that,  because 
they  disliked  and  shirked  labor,  they  made  any  one  soundly  pay  for 
it  who  presumed  to  interrupt  their  comfortable  state  of  indolence. 
This  repetition  of  the  German  doctor's  hard  saying  is,  perhaps, 
almost  a  repetition  of  the  sin  of  Ham.  But  we  may  take  some  com- 
fort in  the  recollection  that  the  first  Romans  were  not  models  of  any 
of  the  fundamental  virtues. 

When  Dr.  Schoepf  was  here,  some  military  companies,  which  had 
garrisoned  the  post  during  the  war,  were  on  the  point  of  taking  their 
departure,  and  great  was  the  regret  of  the  inhabitants.  The  trading 
classes  regretted  the  withdrawal  of  customers  who  helped  to  feed 
them,  while  the  hearts  of  the  ladies  were  saddened  by  the  departure 
of  many  fine  gentlemen  as  the  death-knell  of  many  social  amuse- 
ments. As  an  interesting  fact  it  is  mentioned  that,  during  the  long 
war  just  ended,  balls,  games,  concerts,  and  comedies  had  enlivened 
the  society  of  a  frontier  village  four  hundred  miles  westward  from 
the  ocean. 

This  German  physician's  account  of  the  birds,  beasts,  fishes,  and 
creeping  things  of  this  section  really  seems  exhaustive.  His  report 
of  the  coal  beds  is  remarkable  to  have  been  written  so  long  ago,  and 
neither  petroleum  nor  the  salt  springs  escape  his  observation.  As  to 
the  natural  advantages  of  Pittsburgh  as  a  mart  of  trade  and  indus- 
try, he  saw  into  the  future  almost  to  the  present  day.  But  all  such 
worthy  topics  we  pass  over  merely  to  state  that  he  became  acquainted 
with  the  celebrated  Colonel  Killbuck  and  the  hardly  less  celebrated 
Mistress  Grenadier,  Unfortunately  the  Colonel,  having  just  returned 
from  a  hunting  expedition,  was  refreshing  himself  during  the  entire 
seven  days  of  the  Doctor's  sojourn,  with  a  good  drunk.  Still  he 
made  himself  agreeable,  and  exhibited  with  graceful  pride  certain 
letters  which  had  been  written  by  his  son  and  daughter,  who  had 
been  educated  in  Princeton  at  the  expense  of  Congress.     In  Madame 


PITTSBURGH  LONG  AGO. 


2S3 


Grenadier,  elegantly  lodged  in  the  garden  of  the  Fort,  Dr.  Schoepf 
clearly  perceived  traces  of  her  former  good  looks. 

Dr.  Schoepfs  travels  were  published  at  Erlangen  in  1 788. 


SECULAR  HISTORY, 

In  its  Connections  with  the  Early 

PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  HISTORY, 


SOUTHWESTERN  PENNSYLVANIA. 

AN  ADDRESS 

BY 

JAMES   VEEOH. 


V    II   1^   II    ift .  ir    ' -y^— ' 


lE^Q 


'    ■■    "    '»    *i 


'■  ~^ 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY  &c. 


N  coming,  Mr.  President,  to  the  task  assigned  me  on 
your  programme,  I  cannot  but  feel  some  embarrass- 
ment. The  prominent  aim  of  this  Convention  is  to 
commemorate  men  and  events  which  are  of  the  Church, 
churchly.  Joining  to  it  the  discussion  of  secular  topics,  by  a  mere 
lay  outsider,  may  to  some  seem  an  incongruity.  And  it  would  be 
so  were  it  not  that  the  line  of  separation,  if  it  exist  at  all,  between 
what  is  secular  and  what  is  religious,  in  our  early  history,  is  not  of 
easy  discernment.  They  blend  and  run  together,  and  to  attain  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  either  demands  a  study  of  the  other.  This 
source  of  embarrassment,  therefore,  vanishes  upon  near  approach. 

But  then,  the  subject  to  which  I  am  called — "The  Secular  His- 
tory of  the  Times  we  celebrate" — is  of  such  huge  proportions  as  to 
deter  from  a.ny  attempt  to  crowd  it  into  the  time  and  space  to  which 
I  am  entitled.  The  effort  would  be  so  procrustean  as  to  result  in, 
at  best,  but  a  meagre  and  mutilated  outline.  Volumes  have  been 
written  upon  it,  and  yet  the  half  has  not  been  told.  The  charm  of 
local  history  is  in  details.  Traditionary  knowledge,  and  the  too 
often  distorted  perspective  of  general  history,  but  sharpen  the  avidity 
for  more  exact  delineation.  These  old  time  memories  have  become 
quasi  sacred,  and  must  not  be  trussed  up  in  cold  generalities.  The 
early  years  of  "  the  times  we  celebrate  "  are  clustered  all  over  with 
events  which  are  not  merely  of  curious  interest,  but  of  transcendent 
importance.  In  them,  and  in  their  connecting  antecedents,  we  must 
seek  the  foundations  and  builders  of  our  social  fabric ;  the  fountains 
of  our  material,  political,  religious,  and  educational  progress,  whose 
287 


gS8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

streams,  like  the  great  rivers  whose  sources  are  around  us,  have  gone 
and  are  still  going  forth,  to  diffuse  wealth,  civilization,  and  Chris- 
tianity, not  only  over  our  own  great  West,  but  to  lands  in  the  far- 
off  Orient.  We  may  safely  say,  if  not  in  pride,  yet  surely  not  in 
the  sadness  of  yEneas, 

"  Quae  regio  in  terris  non  nostri  plena  laboris !" 

To  free  myself  from  presumption,  and  from  the  embarrassment 
which  springs  from  the  magnitude  of  the  .subject  as  given  to  me,  I 
venture  to  tone  it  down  into — Some  Sketches  of  our  Secular  His- 
tory, in  its  connections  with  the  early  Presbyterian  Church  History 
of  Southwestern  Pennsylvania. 

These  notices,  desultory  though  they  must  necessarily  be,  will 
carry  us  back,  for  a  while,  beyond  the  century  now  under  review. 
History  has,  in  general  terms,  given  to  the  people  of  this  region  of 
country  a  peculiar  character,  especially  in  its  earlier  developments,* 
and  to  its  material  and  religious  growths,  a  peculiar  stability  and 
sturdiness,  which,  if  rightly  given,  must  result,  in  great  measure, 
from  events  and  influences  which  precede  their  formation  into  a  dis- 
tinct community.  And  such  things  sometimes  reverse  the  law  of 
gravitation,  and  become,  like  the  sun,  more  potent  by  recession. 
It  becomes  us,  therefore,  to  inquire  whether  the  character  thus  given 
be  fact  or  flattery,  and  if  fact,  then  what  were  the  events  and  in- 
fluences which  combined  to  make  it  so,  far  off  though  they  be.  We 
will  look  after  these  first,  because,  if  found,  the  verity  of  the  char- 
acter will  be  an  easy  deduction. 

The  first  successful  efforts  to  plant  English  colonies  in  North 
America  were  within  twenty-five  years  after  1600.  These  were  at 
the  North  and  at  the  South,  leaving  the  temperate  latitudes  for  future 
occupancy.  Cotemporaneous  with  these  efforts  was  another  scheme 
of  colonization,  conducted  under' the  auspices  of  the  same  King, 
which  has  had  a  more  salutary  and  enduring  influence  upon  Ameri- 
can character  than  any  other — the  colonization  of  Scotch  in  the 

**'The  great  district  of  Pennsylvania  for  the  development  of  the 
Scotch-Irish  character,  in  its  energies,  enterprise,  religious  and  moral 
principles,  as  well  as  its  educational  tendencies  and  usefulness,  was 
Bouthwestern  Pennsylvania." 

"  A  Tribute  to  the  Irish  and  Scotch  Early  Settlers  of  Pennsylvania,  by 
a  Descendant"  (the  late  Judge  Chambers,  of  Ghambersburg),  p.  131. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  289 


North  of  Ireland.  For  us,  at  least,  no  two  classes  of  widely  sepa- 
rated events  could  have  been  better  timed.  The  colonists  in  Ulster 
and  their  descendants  were,  for  about  a  century,  trained  in  religious 
faith  and  in  physical  endurance  before  this  country  became  ready 
for  their  reception  ;  so  that  when  they  did  come  they  were  enabled 
to  settle  in  controlling  numbers  just  where  they  could  best  develop 
their  character  and  growth,  and  from  which  they  could  diffuse  them- 
selves into  other  localities  of  strategic  importance. 

Much  of  now-a-days  travel  is  in  an  organized  form  called  excur- 
sions. Allow  me  to  suggest  one  which  would  be  eminently  Presby- 
terian :  Take  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  to  Downingtown.  There 
get  your  late  co-presbyter,  Mr.  Collier,  to  send  over  to  Westchester 
for  the  historian  of  Octorara,  Mr.  Futhey.  With  them  in  your 
party  you  will  need  no  hand-book.  Go  down  the  Brandywine  to 
Wilmington,  thence  to  Havredegrace,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Susque- 
hanna. From  there,  keeping  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  off  the  river, 
go  up  to  York,  and  return  by  way  of  Columbia  and  Lancaster  to  the 
place  of  beginning.  You  will  then  have  compassed,  with  consider- 
able margin,  the  great  (?r/§'/;zd!/;z//rj<rr)' of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America;  an  area  not  greater  than  the 
counties  of  Allegheny  and  Washington,  or  Westmoreland. 

I  do  not  mean  by  designating  these  boundaries  to  fence  out  other 
localities,  in  which  Presbyterianism  was  planted  and  is  yet  grow- 
ing ;  for  it  is  one  of  those  plants  "  whose  seed  is  in  itself,"  and 

"Vital  in  every  part , 

Cannot  but  bj- annihilating  die." 

There  are  many  such  in  all  the  States  north  of  the  Potomac,  even 
in  New  England.  But  here  in  these  contiguities  of  Delaware, 
Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania,  is  the  nursery  par  excellence,  where 
true,  genuine,  improved  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterianism  found  its  most 
favored  soil  and  culture.  There  its  "bow  still  abides  in  strength," 
though  perhaps  with  diminished  elasticity.  There  its  "branches 
have  run  over  the  wall,"  sending  forth  healthy,  luxuriant  shoots 
into  the  valleys  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  among  the  mountains 
of  the  Carolinas  and  Tennessee  ;  and  eventually,  as  we  shall  see, 
into  these  once  ends  of  the  earth.  How  many  Presbyterian 
churches  there  are  in  it  I  do  not  know.  The  great  trouble  in 
their  early  history  was  to  keep  their  meeting-houses  far  enough 
T 


2go  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


apart.  In  it  were  founded  and  long  flourished,  at  least  four  schools 
of  learning  and  divinity.  In  it  were  born,  and  trained  or  educated, 
some  of  the  most  eminent  and  useful  men  of  the  nation  as  states- 
men, judges,  governors,  lawyers,  physicians,  and  especially  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel.  Princeton  College  has  drawn  from  it  three  of 
her  presidents,  Hampden-Sidney  two,  and  Schenectady  one.  From 
it  went  forth  Davies,  the  apostle  of  Presbyterianism  and  religious 
toleration  in  Virginia ;  Graham,  the  founder  of  the  college  at  Lex- 
ington; Waddell,  the  "blind  preacher,"  whom  Wirt  has  mirrored 
in  his  "  British  Spy,"  and  others  of  like  spirit  if  not  of  equal  fame.  If 
to  these  we  add  nearly  all  the  fathers  of  all  the  branches  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Southwestern  Pennsylvania — McMillan, 
Smith,  Power,  Dunlap,  Finley,  and  Henderson — if  a  nursery  which, 
in  a  single  age,  sent  forth  such  an  array  of  vigorous  plants  as  these 
be  not  entitled  to  pre-eminence,  in  what  can  pre-eminence  con- 
sist? 

The  planting  of  this  nursery  just  there,  and  just  when  it  came  to 
be  planted,  are  events  with-  which  our  early  history  has  close  con- 
nections and  similitudes.  To  trace  these  may  carry  us  into  paths 
of  inquiry  that  are  intricate  and  unfrequented,  which,  although  they 
may  seem  dark, at  the  entrance,  will,  we  trust,  have  some  light  at  the 
outcome. 

Pennsylvania  was  granted  to  William  Penn  and  his  heirs  by 
Charles  II.,  March  4,  1681.  Except  Georgia  it  was  the  last  of  the 
Old  Thirteen  to  derive  a  patent  from  the  Crown,  and  the  only  one 
which  had  no  ocean  front.  And  yet,  in  climate,  soils,  woods, 
waters,  water  courses,  healthfulness,  and  easy  access  from  the  sea, 
she  got  the  best  position  in  all  the  range  of  colonies.  She  was 
equally  fortunate  in  having  for  her  founder  and  fundamental  law- 
giver one  who,  whether  from  the  inward  light  that  was  the  basis  of 
his  faith,  or  from  personal  experience  of  the  evils  of  intolerance, 
made  freedom  in  the  worship  of  God  a  pillar  of  his  political  fabric, 
and  set  it  up  so  straight  and  strong  as  to  inspire  the  confidence  of 
all  peoples  in  its  security.  She  had  a  peculiarly  mild  and  whole- 
some system  of  laws,  and  was  without  any  of  those  grants  of  large 
bodies  of  land  and  inequalities  of  wealth  and  social  rank  which  dis- 
couraged the  rapid  growth  of  many  of  the  other  Colonies.  No  other 
Colony  could  present  such  inducements  to  thift-loving,  law  abiding 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  2()t 

immigrants,  who  were  in  search  of  good  freehold  farms  and  free- 
dom in  rehgion,  and  to  none  other  did  they  come  so  freely- 

Though  a  little  out  of  place,  it  may  save  repetition  here  to  note 
that  in  1609  James  I.  of  England  gave  to  a  company  of  Londoners 
a  vast  territorial  grant,  under  which  Virginia  claims  to  be  the  mother 
of  States.  It  had  a  front  upon  the  Atlantic  of  four  hundred  miles, 
of  which  Old  Point  Comfort  was  the  middle  point — "and  from  the 
sea  coast  of  the  precinct  aforesaid  up  into  the  land  throughout  from 
sea  to  sea,  west  and  northwest " — thus,  as  Virginia  afterwai^ds  claimed 
it,  making  a  kind  of  truncated  cone,  widening  westwardly  on  its 
northern  confines,  so  as  to  sweep  over  Maryland,  this  region  of 
country,  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  all  west  and  northwest  of  it  away 
up  to  54°  40'.  Had  this  patent  been  allowed  to  endure  it  would 
have  been  a  serious  obstacle  to  colonization.  Happily  it  was,  in 
1624,  at  the  instance  of  the  Company,  revoked  and  annulled;  and 
although  never  restored,  it  was,  as  we  will  see  after  a  while,  made  the 
pretext  by  Virginia  for  the  most  arrogant  pretensions. 

The  grant  of  Maryland,  in  1632,  by  Charles  I.  to  Cecilius  Cal- 
vert, hereditary  Lord  Baltimore,  embraced  an  important  part  of  the 
old  Virginia  grant ;  and,  half  a  century  afterwards,  enabled  Penn- 
sylvania for  a  while  to  have  a  neighbor,  who,  however  troublesome 
in  other  respects,  harmonized  in  the  principles  of  religious  tolera- 
tion which  Virginia  denied.  Lord  Baltimore's  domain  was  to  be 
from  the  Potomac,  etc.,  northward,  so  as  to  include  all  that  "  lyeth 
under  the  40th  degree  of  northerly  latitude  from  the  equinoctial," 
— meaning  the  belt  between  39°  and  40°,  which,  as  things  now 
are,  would  have  reached  north  of  the  old  city  of  Philadelphia. 
Longitudinally  it  was  to  extend  from  the  Delaware  Bay  to  the 
"meridian  of  the  first  fountain"  of  the  Potomac;  which  covered 
what  is  now  the  little  State  of  Delaware.  So  that  had  this  grant 
been  allowed  to  become  effectual  according  to  its  letter,  it  would 
have  put  all  our  nursery  into  Maryland,  where  very  soon  religious 
toleration  become  a  mockery. 

Penn's  southern  boundary  was  to  be  a  circular  line  from  the  Del- 
aware, "  drawn  at  twelve  miles  distance  from  New  Castle  northward 
and  westward  unto  the  beginning  [  ?  39°  or  40°]  of  the  fortieth  de- 
gree of  northern  latitude,  and  then  by  a  straight  line  westward  "  to 
the  limits  of  five  degrees  of  longitude  from  the  Delaware. 


2q2  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


By  reason  of  an  alleged  misplacement  of  the  ideal  line  40°  some 
nineteen  miles  too  far  to  the  south  on  the  only  authoritative  map  of 
those  parts  (Captain  John  Smith's)  extant  at  the  dates  of  the  chart- 
ers to  Lord  Baltimore  and  Penn,  and  the  impossibility  of  a  circle  of 
twelve  miles  radius  from  New  Castle  drawn  northward  and  westward 
touching  39°,  the  southern  beginning  of  the  40th  degree,  or  40° 
its  northern  beginning,  unless  by  recognizing  the  alleged  misplace- 
ment, the  heirs  of  William  Penn,  after  a  long  and  angry  controversy 
with  the  Lords  Baltimore,  running  from  1682  to  1732,  were  enabled 
to  get  an  agreement  fixing  the  southern  boundary  of  their  province 
on  an  east  and  west  line  fifteen  miles  south  of  Cedar  or  South 
Street,  Philadelphia ;  and  in  this  way  that  much  of  our  nursery  was 
saved. 

By  another  misplacement  of  a  line,  another  part  was  saved,  until 
the  plants  had  taken  such  deep  root  as  not  to  be  easily  eradicated. 
The  mouth  of  Octorara  creek  is  several  miles  south  of  the  north  line 
of  Maryland ;  but  in  1682-3,  soon  after  Penn  and  Lord  Baltimore  had 
had  a  friendly  conference  about  their  bounds,  the  latter  caused  a 
well-marked  line  to  be  run  from  the  Susquehanna  at  the  mouth  of 
that  creek,  bearing  a  little  north  of  east,  clear  through  to  the  Dela- 
ware. This  was  of  course  taken  for  the  intended  boundary  between 
the  provinces  ;  and  some  thirty  or  forty  years  afterwards  an  exten- 
sive settlement  under  Pennsylvania,  called  Nottingham,  was  pushed 
down  to  that  line.  When,  under  agreements  entered  into  first  in 
1732,  and  finally  in  1760,  the  disputes  were  settled  and  the  Hne 
came  to  be  truly  defined,  it  was  found  to  run  through  this  settle- 
ment, throwing  one  part  of  it  into  Cecil  county,  Maryland,  and  the 
other  into  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  settlers  were,  how- 
ever, allowed  to  remain ;  and  so  the  Maryland  part  of  our  nursery 
was  saved.     But  this  was  not  all  of  it. 

The  grant  of  Maryland  was  upon  condition  that  its  lands  had  not 
before  been  settled  by  any  Christian  people — hactenus  terra  inculta. 
Some  Swedes  and  Fins  had,  about  1628,  set  up  the  short-lived 
colony  of  Swaanendael  on  the  western  shore  of  the  Delaware  Bay. 
They  had  been  conquered  by  the  Dutch  of  New  Netherlands,  whose 
principal  domain  was  upon  Manhattan  and  the  Hudson ;  and  they 
had  been  in  turn  conquered  by  the  English.  Thereupon  the  Dela- 
ware Bay  territory  became  an  appendage  to  the  province  of  New 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  2gj 


York,  which  Charles  II.  had  granted  to  his  brother  the  Duke  of 
York.  By  this  process  the  Duke,  afterwards  James  II.,  claimed  to 
override  the  right  of  Lord  Baltimore  to  the  western  bay  shore  of  the 
Delaware.  Penn,  being  the  fast  friend  of  James,  and  anxious  to 
obtain  a  good  outlet  for  his  "  too  backward  lying  province,"  in  1682 
bought  out  the  Duke's  claim,  and  eventually,  by  favor  more  than 
right,  became  proprietary  of  the  "three  lower  counties;"  and  he 
and  his  heirs  held  them  through  long  years  of  contention  and  jeal- 
ousies until  they  got  their  limits  established,  and  then  they  set  up 
for  themselves.  In  this  way  the  residue,  or  Delaware  part,  of  our 
nursery  was  rescued  from  a  colony  which  had  soon  to  succumb  to 
religious  intolerance.  It  became  a  very  important  part :  it  held  the 
gateway.  For  a  long  time  more  immigrants  from  Ireland  landed  at 
New  Castle  than  at  Philadelphia. 

He  who  does  not  see  the  hand  of  a  Higher  Power  in  working  out 
these  results  from  the  blunders  and  ambiguities  of  these  old  colonial 
charters,  must  be  afflicted  with  a  mental  cataract  which  no  human 
surgery  can  remove. 

It  is  claimed  for  the  Plain  of  Shinar,  upon  which,  for  the  purposes  of 
concentration,  men  began  to  build  after  the  flood,  that  in  all  Asia  no 
more  favorable  locality  could  have  been  found  from  which  to  disperse 
mankind  over  the  earth.  And  it  has,  I  believe,  come  to  be  a  recog- 
nized fact  in  natural  history  that  plants  and  the  lower  animals  have 
had  several  distinct  centres  of  creation  and  dissemination.  The  world 
is  full  of  analogies.  Here,  in  these  contiguous  corners  of  three  col- 
onies, we  find  not  only  a  centre  of  one  of  the  most  vigorous,  stable, 
and  aggressive  systems  of  religious  faith  and  polity  that  has  ever 
blessed  mankind,  but  the  centre  from  which  nearly  if  not  quite  all 
the  other  centres  of  that  faith  on  the  continent  have  been  derived. 
Take  a  map  of  the  Atlantic  slope,  and  nowhere  upon  it,  in  the 
range  of  the  old  British-American  colonies,  can  we  find  a  locality 
possessing  equal  advantages  of  access,  of  protection  and  growth,  and 
of  egress  and  diffusion  into  all  the  regions  round  it,  north  and  east, 
but  especially  south  and  west.  It  was  central  but  not  confined,  in- 
land but  not  interior;  with  a  soil  and  climate  which  encouraged 
labor,  fitted  for  products  and  pursuits  suited  to  the  Very  people  who 
were  wanted  to  occupy  it,  and  adapted  every  way  to  physical,  intel- 
lectual, and  religious  development.     Not  only  was  it  the  right  place 


2()4  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

for  the  right  men,  but  it  was  made  ready  for  them  at  the  right  time. 
Had  the  Scotch-Irish  emigrants  who  embarked  on  the  "Eagle  Wing " 
in  1636  been  permitted  to  consummate  their  voyage,  they  would 
have  been  compelled  to  settle  on  the  cold,  inhospitable  hills  of  New 
England,  or  the  enervating,  uncongenial  lowlands  of  Carolina,  only 
to  become  absorbed  in  the  surrounding  population,  or,  like  the 
Scotch  on  the  Cape  Fear,  become  dwarfed  by  intolerance  and  barren 
inactivity.  They  would  have  left  Ulster  to  become  the  blighted  re- 
gion that  it  was  before  their  advent  thither,  and  before  it  had  become 
sufficiently  populous  to  sustain  its  future  emigrations ;  and,  more 
than  all,  before,  by  revivals  in  their  religion,  by  galling  exactions 
and  persecutions,  and  by  repeated  expulsions  from  it  and  the  mother 
country,  their  descendants  and  countrymen  had  become  fully  quali- 
fied to  found,  in  the  New  World,  a  church  without  a  bishop,  and 
commonwealths  without  a  king. 

It  was  not  until  1 7 1 7 ,  the  era  of  the  formation  of  the  old  parent 
Synod  of  Philadelphia,  some  thirty-five  years  after  the  foundation 
of  Pennsylvania,  that  the  Scotch-Irish  began  in  any  considerable 
numbers  to  come  to  America.  Although  up  to  this  time  a  very 
large,  if  not  controlling,  number. of  the  ministry  of  the  American 
Presbyterian  Church  were  from  Scotland  and  Ireland,  it  would  seem 
that  their  constituency  were  not  in  the  same  proportion. 

The  first  great  migration  from  Ulster  to  Pennsylvania — and  it 
was  to  Pennsylvania  that  nearly  all  the  emigrants  came  prior  to  the 
Revolution — was  from  about  i7i7toi75o.  At  this  time,  under  the 
benign  sway  of  the  Toleration  Act  of  1689,  religious  persecutions 
in  Great  Britain  had  ceased,  or  at  least  had  become  tempered  down 
into  annoying  hindrances  and  exactions.  But  the  long  leases  which 
landholders  had  granted  upon  the  original  colonization  had  ex- 
pired, and  they  took  advantage  of  the  prosperity  which  had  attended 
the  labors  of  the  colonists  and  their  descendants  to  advance  the  rents 
to  such  high  figures  as  to  be  ruinous  to  many  of  the  tenantry,  and 
burdensome  to  all.  Having  heard  of  the  better  land  across  the  sea, 
where  they  could  be  their  own  landlords,  where  tithes  were  unknown 
and  taxes  light,  they  at  once  determined  to  seek  new  homes  there. 
And  thither  they  went. 

James  Logan,  the  secretary  and  chief  counsellor  of  the  Proprie- 
tary Government  for  many  years  after  1701,  an  Irish  Quaker,  wrote 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  2CfS 

in  1729  :  "It  looks  as  if  Ireland  is  to  send  all  her  inhabitants 
hither,  for  last  week  not  less  than  six  ships  arrived,  and  every  day 
two  or  three  arrive  also.  The  common  fear  is  that  if  they  con- 
tinue to  come  they  will  make  themselves  proprietors  of  the  pro- 
vince." Mr.  Proud,  in  his  History  of  Pennsylvania,  says  that  up 
to  1729  six  thousand  Scotch-Irish  had  come,  and  that  for  several 
years  prior  to  1750  about  twelve  thousand  arrived  annually.  In 
September,  1736,  one  thousand  families  sailed  for  the  Delaware  from 
Belfast  alone. 

At  this  rate  it  would  not  have  taken  long  to  fill  up  the  nursery. 
But  they  did  not  all  settle  there.  Some  went  north  into  Bucks  county, 
some  into  New  York  and  New  Jersey ;  but  until  it  became  pretty 
well  filled  very  many  took  their  abodes  in  the  old  plantations,  either 
as  additions,  or  in  the  places  of  others  who  moved  further  to  the 
front  of  civilization,  up  the  Susquehanna  into  Donegal  and  Paxton, 
or  over  it  into  the  Kittatinny  valley,  or  through  it  and  over  the 
Potomac  into  the  valley  of  Virginia.  Many  moved  directly  into 
those  localities  after  a  brief  sojourn  among  their  friends,  and  after 
having  taken  counsel  from  them  as  to  the  ways  of  wilderness  life. 

The  Scotch-Irish,  like  emigrants  of  every  nationality  from  the 
Fatherland,  did  not  seek  to  scatter  themselves  loosely  over  set- 
tled communities.  They  moved  compactly,  and  settled  in  colonies 
sufficiently  numerous  to  be  self-sustaining,  and  to  be  able,  in  due 
time,  to  secure  a  minister  and  school,  wherever  there  were  large 
bodies  of  good  land  to  be  had  "for  taking  up."  This  policy  or 
propensity  of  their  own  harmonized  with  the  policy  of  the  Quaker 
government.  Although  they  could  be  friendly,  they  could  not  fra- 
ternize with  the  Quakers.  Nor  could  they  at  all  affiliate  with  the 
Germans  and  "Palatine  boors,"  who  were  constantly  crowding 
upon  them.  Moreover,  they  had  no  love  for  the  Indian,  and  were 
not  averse  to  a  fight  with  him  "  or  any  other  man  "  upon  just  pro- 
vocation. Hence  it  became  a  peculiarity  of  their  very  being  to  be 
always  pushing  for  the  front  lines  of  conflict  with  the  wilderness  and 
the  savage.  But  although  they  had  no  love  for  the  Indian  "as 
such,"  they  respected  his  rights,  and  almost  inviolably  obeyed  the 
requirements  of  the  Proprietors  not  to  settle  upon  his  hunting 
grounds  before  being  purchased,  or  without  permission.  Nor  did 
they  often,  in  their  inceptive  settlements,  go  to  the  land  office  for 


3f)b  rKESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

titles.  When  upbraided  for  this  "  squatter  "  habit,  their  reply  was ; 
"The  Proprietaries  and  their  agents  solicited  colonists  to  come 
freely,  and  we  have  come  accordingly.  We  are  improving  your  lands, 
and  when  we  come  to  ask  for  our  titles  we  will  pay  for  them."  But 
they  were  generally  careful  to  see  a  fair  prospect  for  a  good  title  be- 
fore they  expended  much  of  either  labor  or  money.  In  this  respect, 
hov/ever,  they  were  never  wronged,  unless  from  their  own  obstinate 
neglect. 

As  not  all  who  were  within  the  lines  of  the  Nursery  were  Scotch- 
Irish,  so  neither  were  all  who  were  of  that  nationality  there  and 
elsewhere  good  Presbyterians.  Predominantly  they  were.  Some 
of  them  only  leaned  that  way,  while,  perhaps,  there  were  some  who 
had  no  very  decided  religious  leanings  of  any  kind.  But  all  of 
them,  except  the  most  depraved,  had  a  respect  for  the  institutions 
and  ministers  of  religion  ;  and  were  imbued  with  a  peculiar  spirit  of 
combativeness,  which  fitted  them  for  being  pioneers  in  every  aggres- 
sive movement,  material,  political,  and  religious.  To  this  spirit, 
undefinable  by  any  other  standard  than  itself,  is  to  be  ascribed 
much  of  their  success,  even  in  sanctified  effort. 

Historians  of  the  Presbyterian  branches  of  the  Church  in  America, 
generally  begin  their  narratives  with  a  relation  of  the  trials  and 
trainings  of  the  forefathers  in  Scotland  and  in  the  North  of  Ireland. 
For  me  to  do  so  in  this  presence  would  be  an  unpardonable  inva- 
sion of  a  province  with  which  you  are  all  familiar,  and  to  which  I 
could  add  nothing  new.  I  may,  however,  so  far  trespass  as  to  say, 
that  the  class  of  people  to  whom  we  give  the  appellative  Scotch- 
Irish,  are  very  different  from  the  Irish,  who  during  these  many 
years  past  have  crowded  our  ports,  and  swarm  in  all  our  cities. 
Neither  are  they  Scotch,  nor  a  cross  of  the  two  races.  Not  a  drop 
of  Celtic  or  Milesian  blood  lurks  in  their  veins.  They  are  as  dis- 
tinct to-day  as  they  were  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago ;  having 
maintained  their  Scotch  lineage  unalloyed,  save  only  perhaps  by  oc- 
casional intermixtures  of  English  blood  taken  from  part  of  the  re- 
mains of  Cromwell's  army,  who  took  refuge  in  Coleraine  and  else- 
where, in  the  North  of  Ireland,  upon  the  overthrow  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. As  a  race,  they  are  only  denizens  of  Ireland,  to  which 
they  were  transplanted  from  Scotland,  and  where  most  of  them  can 
yet  find  their  kindred,  and  the  graves  of  a  common  ancestry.     And 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  zgj 

yet  by  long  residence  and  habitude  they  may  be  considered  as  in- 
digenous to  the  nine  counties  of  the  old  province  of  Ulster — Antrim, 
Armagh,  Cavan,  Donegal,  Down,  Fermanagh,  Londonderry,  Mona- 
ghan,  and  Tyrone ;  names,  the  most  of  which  are  as  familiar  to  Penn- 
sylvanians  as  Washington  and  Franklin.  Although  their  religious 
and  educational  trainings  closely  resemble  those  of  the  Scotch,  and 
always  have  done  so,  yet  they  differ  in  their  predominant  pursuits 
and  aspirations.  Generally  the  Scotchman  is  content  with  the  stinted 
subsistence  of  his  heaths  and  braes ;  the  Scotch-Irishman  is  for  ever 
grasping  at  or  hoping  for  something  better.  Moreover,  the  early 
Scotch  colonists  of  Ireland  were  select  stock.  Many  of  them 
though  not  lords  were  lairds,  and  all  of  them  were  men  of  grit  and 
enterprise,  and  above  the  average  in  intelligence.  They  went  there 
to  better  their  condition,  and  all  their  history  and  that  of  their  de- 
scendants shows  that  whenever  they  cannot  accomplish  that  they 
leave.  In  many  respects  they  have  come  to  differ  widely  from  the 
parent  stock.  How  it  has  been  in  their  religious  bearings,  I  will  not 
undertake  to  speak ;  but  politically  they  have  been  often  antipodal. 
The  last  of  the  Kings  of  the  house  of  Stuart  fixed  his  last  hopes  on 
Scotland,  while  Derry  and  the  Boyne  extinguished  them  for  ever. 
Our  Revolutionary  annals  disclose  no  instance  of  a  Scotch-Irish  Pres- 
byterian Tory;  whilst  everywhere,  especially  in  the  South,  a  distinc- 
tive Scotch  settlement  abounded  in  Tories.  We  may,  therefore,  safely 
consider  the  Scotch-Irish  as  a  race  of  improved  Scotch.  Nor  should 
we  receive  this  as  a  doubtful  truism.  We  know  that  cereals,  fruits, 
and  domestic  animals,  are  often  greatly  improved  by  slight  changes 
of  place  and  surroundings;  and  why  not  men?  Transfer  the  thrift- 
loving  but  penury  bound  inhabitants  of  our  rugged  hills  or  crowded 
streets  to  the  rich  prairies  or  fast  growing  towns  of  the  West,  and 
they  or  their  sons  rise  to  places  of  honor  and  influence,  or  come 
back  to  us  members  of  Congress  or  doctors  of  divinity.  Individuals 
often  become  great,  or  greatly  good  by  opportunity — by  the  provi- 
dential opening  of  avenues  through  which  they  march  to  eminence. 
Many  have  lain  down  in  "  cold  obstruction,"  who  might  have 
become  leaders  in  the  onward  progress  of  humanity,  but 

"  Their  lot  forbade." 
And  so  of  communities,  or  aggregations  of  men.     Had  the  Scotch 
colonists  of  Ireland  remained  at  home,  they  probably  would  have 


2gS  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

made  no  distinguishing  impression  upon  their  social  surroundings, 
but  upon  their  translation  to  Ulster,  they  found  a  land  of  high  sus- 
ceptibilities, blasted  and  barren  by  wars,  and  by  the  ignorance  and 
indolence  of  a  degraded  peasantry  made  such  by  a  degrading  re- 
ligious superstition,  with  which  they  were  obliged  to  be  in  contact 
and  in  antagonism.  They  went  to  work  to  restore  the  land  to  fruit- 
fulness,  and  to  prove  the  superiority  of  the  Protestant  faith.  In  ac- 
complishing these  purposes,  they  developed  energies  of  which  they 
would  otherwise  have  remained  unconscious,  and  their  aims  grev/ 
higher  and  of  wider  range. 

Upon  coming  to  the  wilds  of  America,  they  found  themselves  in 
a  wholly  new  and  greatly  enlarged  sphere,  without  any  of  the  clogs 
and  discouragements  which  beset  them  in  the  old  country.  Every- 
thing beckoned  them  to  increased  exertion.  Their  prospects  ex- 
panded, and  their  powers  expanded  with  them.  No  other  class  of 
colonists  grew  so  rapidly  or  so  vigorously,  because  none  others  so 
readily  and  tenaciously  adapted  themselves  to  the  perils  and  priva- 
tions of  a  new  country.  Ever  advancing,  never  receding,  as  soon 
as  the  great  valley  of  the  West  was  open  to  settlement  they  entered 
it,  fearless  of  the  difficulties  and  dangers  which  confronted  them. 
And  this  brings  us  to  inquire  why  and  how  they  came  into  this  re- 
gion of  country ;  what,  if  any,  were  the  peculiarities  of  this  advance 
position,  and  what  influence  these  had  in  developing  the  character 
and  accomplishing  the  results  to  which  they  here  attained.  These 
inquiries  will  call  us  off  to  events  somewhat  remote  in  time,  but 
nearer  home  than  those  which  have  hitherto  engaged  our  attention. 

Cupidity  led  the  way  in  the  controversy  for  dominion  over 
Western  Pennsylvania  and  its  contiguities,  which  sprung  up  about 
the  middle  of  the  last  century.  It  began  in  a  struggle  for  the 
Indian  trade,  which,  for  about  half  a  century  before  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  was  the  great  business  of  all  the  colonies  south  of  New 
England;  founding  families  and  fortunes,  and  demanding  for  its 
conduct  men  of  intelligence  and  energy,  as  well  as  of  hardihood  and 
cunning.  Most  of  the  Indians  found  here  at  the  inception  of  the 
strife  had  come  last,  and  not  very  remotely,  from  the  borders  of  the 
Lehigh  and  the  branches  of  the  Susquehanna.  They  were  the  rem- 
nants of  once  powerful  tribes.  Trade  with  them  was  of  some  value  ; 
but  their  favor  and  friendship  was  of  the  greatest  importance,  be- 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  zgg 

» 

cause  they  possessed  the  approaches  to  the  territory  northwest  of  the 
Allegheny  and  Ohio  Rivers,  which  was  the  great  field  of  traffic. 
For  this  the  French  had  long  contended,  and  vvith  surpassing  suc- 
cess, until,  by  the  superior  energies  of  indomitable  Scotch-Irish 
Pennsylvanians,  who  sold  cheaper  and  better  goods,  their  supremacy 
was  endangered.  Philadelphia  became  the  great  mart  of  the  trade, 
with  depots  of  supplies  at  Lancaster,  Harris's  Ferry,  Carlisle,  Ship- 
pensburg,  and  the  mouth  of  Conococheague.  To  divert  this,  if 
possible,  southward,  was  the  primary  object  of  the  old  Ohio  Com- 
pany, a  Virginia  corporation  of  very  ambitious  pretensions ;  while 
the  French  saw  that  their  only  chance  of  turning  it  to  Montreal  was 
by  crowding  off  all  the  English  traders  and  claimants,  upon  the 
ground  that  they  were  intruders  upon  the  domain  of  His  Most 
Christian  Majesty.  In  this  way  began  the  strife  in  which  Washing- 
ton rose  and  Braddock  fell.  It  soon  became  a  contest  of  races  and 
religions.  In  espousing  the  quarrel,  England  unwittingly  inaugu- 
rated a  train  of  events  which  conduced  to  the  Independence  we  are 
soon,  for  the  hundredth  time,  to  celebrate.  For,  not  on  Lexington 
Common,  but  up  here  in  a  mountain  fastness  in  Fayette,  and  by 
Washington,  was  first 

"  Fired  the  shot  heard  round  the  world."* 
The  story  is  a  familiar  one,  and  I  will  not  seek  to  rehearse  it.     I 
refer  to  it  only  to  introduce  such  of  its  incidents  and  sequences  as 
bear  directly  upon  the  inceptive  settlement  of  Southwestern  Penn- 
sylvania. 

There  had  for  some  time  been  lurking  in  the  councils  of  Virginia 
a  notion,  fast  ripening  into  a  belief,  that  Pennsylvania's  five  degrees 
of  longitude  westward  from  the  Delaware,  were  not  long  enough  to 
reach  over  the  mountains.  But  the  Penn  proprietaries,  their  de- 
puty governors,  and  wary  adviser,  James  Logan,  persistently  as- 
serted that  the  "  forks  of  the  Ohio  "  was  within  the  grant.  On  the 
other  hand,  when  the  Pennsylvania  Assembly  were  asked  to  con- 
tribute to  the  expulsion  of  the  French,  they  very  incautiously  ex- 
pressed a  doubt  whether  the  alleged  intrusion  was  upon  their  terri- 
tory, and  refused  any  contribution  of  men  or  money ;  basing  their 
refusal,  however,  upon  the  ground  that  the  Penns  would  not  recog- 
nize their  right  to  tax  their  manors  and  other  unsold  lands  for  that 
*  See  Bancroft's  Hist,  U.  S.,  IV.,  118. 


jOt>  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


or  any  other  purpose.  Hence,  Pennsylvania  had  no  part  in  the 
disastrous  expeditions  of  Washington  and  Braddock,  in  1754  and 
1755  ;  but  she  came  in  at  the  final  expulsion  by  Forbes,  in  1758. 
This  semi-abnegation  of  ownership  was  made  an  ingredient  in  the 
poisoned  chalice  which  Virginia  commended  to  the  lips  of  Pennsyl- 
vania in  after  years. 

The  kind  of  people  who  found  a  new  settlement — other  things 
being  indifferent — often  depends  upon  its  routes  of  approach.  All 
history  abounds  in  teachings  to  this  effect.  It  was  early  seen  that 
the  "short  route"  across  the  mountains  into  the  Ohio  valley  was 
from  the  mouth  of  Wills  Creek  (Cumberland,  Md.),  hyaline  nearly 
coincident  with  the  old  National  Road,  to  the  mouth  of  Redstone, 
or  Brownsville,  on  the  Monongahela.  It  was  traced  and  used  as  a 
trader's  path  as  early  as  1748,  if  not  sooner,  and  was  greatly  pre- 
ferred to  the  Juniata  route,  even  by  Pennsylvania  traders,  who  came 
up  the  valley  to  the  mouth  of  the  Conococheague,  and  thence  up 
the  river  to  Wills  Creek.  Washington,  in  a  letter  urging  its  adop- 
tion by  Forbes'  army,  in  1758,  thus  briefly  and  truly  gives  its  his- 
tory:  "The  Ohio  Company,  in  1753,  at  a  considerable  expense, 
opened  the  road.  In  1754,  the  troops  whom  I  had  the  honor  to 
command  greatly  repaired  it  as  far  as  Gist's  plantation  ;  and  in  1755 
it  was  widened  and  completed  by  General  Braddock  to  within  six 
miles  of  Fort  Duquesne."  This  road,  however,  diverged  from  the 
line  of  the  National  Road  a  little  east  of  Laurel  Hill,  and  bore  off 
more  northwardly ;  but  a  branch  went  from  the  top  of  the  hill,  and 
another  from  Gist's,  at  its  foot,  to  Redstone. 

Leading  directly,  by  easy  grades,  no  considerable  curvature,  seve- 
ral meadows  and  few  river  crossings,  from  the  Potomac  borders  of 
Virginia  and  Maryland,  and  contiguous  Pennsylvania,  it  became  at 
once,  at  the  close  of  Pontiac's  War,  a  popular  highway  of  trade 
and  migration.  A  letter  from  Winchester,  Va.,  April  30,  1765, 
says:  "the  frontier  inhabitants  of  this  Colony  and  Maryland  are 
removing  fast  over  the  Allegheny  mountains  to  settle  and  live  there ;" 
and  during  all  the  residue  of  that  decade  the  current  of  emigration 
over  it  was  unceasing,  though  not  very  strong.  These  Maryland 
and  Virginia  emigrants  settled  mostly  in  the  Fayette  part  of  what 
was  then  Cumberland  county,  between  the  mountains  and  the  Mon- 
ongahela; a  few  in  the  mountains  at  Turkey-foot;  more,  perhaps, 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  301 


in  the  southern  parts  of  Westmoreland ;  and  some  on  the  river  bor- 
ders of  Greene  and  Washington.  Characteristically  they  were  rude, 
caring  more  for  game  and  good  lands  which  cost  nothing  than  for 
any  of  the  enjoyments  of  civilized  life.  Some  of  them,  however, 
became  good  citizens,  and  their  descendants  are  there  yet.  They 
all  kept  near  this  road  and  its  connections,  and  the  rivers.  West  of 
the  Monongahela  there  was,  for  many  more  years,  no  road  ;  and 
mainly  for  that  reason,  except  near  its  bank,  no  whites  settled. 

Virginia  early  saw  the  importance  of  this  road,  and  adopted  it. 
In  1766  she  gave  ;Q2oo  to  repair  it  and  connect  it  with  her  settle- 
ments on  the  South  Branch  of  the  Potomac  and  around  Winchester, 
with  a  view  to  attract  the  Indian  trade.  The  connection  was  made 
about  half  way  between  Cumberland  and  where  Frostburgh  now  is. 
Washington  travelled  it  to  Pittsburgh  in  1770;  and  by  it  came  Dr. 
McMillan,*  on  his  second  tour  to  the  West,  in  January,  1776.  It 
was  generally  known  as  Braddock's  road,  but  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  Pennsylvania  road,  which  Forbes'  army  made,  it  was  called  the 
Virginia  road. 

The  very  first  assertion  of  sway  over  these  new  settlers  was  one 
specially  provocative  of  lasting  disaffection.  It  was  a  cardinal  rule 
of  the  Penn  Proprietors  to  allow  no  intrusions  by  settlers  upon  lands  of 
which  they  had  not  acquired  the  Indian  title.  And  it  is  a  noticeable 
feature  in  the  progress  of  settlements  in  Pennsylvania,  that  they 
almost  always  preceded  the  proprietary  purchases,  and  thereby  often 
compelled  them.  The  advance  settlements  just  adverted  to  were 
interspersed  with  some  Indians,  chiefly  of  the  Delaware  tribe,  who 
were  claimed  by  the  Six  Nations  to  be  their  conquered  vassals,  and 
tenants  by  sufferance  upon  their  hunting  grounds.  These  lived  at 
peace  with  the  settlers,  and  uttered  no  complaint.  Not  so,  however, 
with  their  lords  paramount  in  New  York,  who  were  naturally  imperious, 
conscious  of  their  power,  and  fond  of  swaying  their  sceptre,  though 
a  barren  one.  Without  any  well  defined  ground  of  complaint,  they 
contrive  to  impress  the  King's  agents  for  Indian  affairs,  and  through 
them  the  governors  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  with  the  belief 
that  unless  the  settlers  were  removed  something  terrible  would  hap- 

*  Although  Doctor  McMillan  did  not  receive  the  honorary  degree  of 
D.D.,  from  Jetterson  College,  until  1807,  for  convenience  of  designation 
I  give  him  his  title  from  the  beginning. 


J02  PRESBYTER/AN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENT/ON. 

pen.  Forthwith  the  governors  go  to  work  to  proclaim  them  away. 
Their  warnings  are  unheeded,  or  answered  only  by  increased  migra- 
tion. Thereupon  miUtary  detachments  are  sent  up  from  Fort  Pitt 
to  drive  them  away.  The  soldiers,  being  kindly  treated,  hurt  nobody. 
They,  perhaps,  turned  a  few  cabins  inside  out,  but  no  sooner  are 
they  withdrawn  than  the  settlers  put  all  to  rights  again,  and  resume 
the  statu  quo  ante.  Some  become  alarmed  and  retire  to  their  old 
homes,  but  finding  their  neighbors  unharmed,  they  come  back.  This 
was  in  1766-67.  The  running  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  in  1767 
35  far  as  to  its  second  crossing'  of  Dunkard  creek,  in  now  Greene 
county,  indicated  that  all  these  intruders  were  within  Pennsylvania ; 
and  Governor  Fauquier  of  Virginia,  glad  to  escape  from  his  un- 
pleasant position,  did  not  gainsay  it :  so  he  left  the  Penn  powers 
to  fight  it  out  as  best  they  could.  Governor  Penn,  in  January, 
1768,  called  the  special  attention  of  his  Assembly  to  the  subject, 
saying  their  removal  was  indispensable  to  avert  a  war.  The  Assem- 
bly was  as  badly  frightened  as  was  the  Governor,  whereupon,  Feb. 
3,  1768,  they  pass  a  law  by  which,  after  t-eciting  that  "many  dis- 
orderly people  (....)  have  presumed  to  settle  upon  lands 
not  yet  purchased  from  the  Indians,  to  their  damage  and  great  dis- 
satisfaction, which  may  be  attended  with  dangerous  and  fatal  con- 
sequences to  the  peace  of  this  province,"  it  is  enacted  that  if  any 
settlers,  after  being  required  to  remove  themselves  and  families,  by 
personal  notice  or  proclamation  sent  to  them,  should  not  so  remove 
within  thirty  days  thereafter;  or,  if  after  having  removed  they 
should  return ;  or,  if  any  should  settle  after  such  notice,  every  such 
person,  "  being  thereof  legally  convicted  by  their  own  confession  or 
the  verdict  of  a  jury,  shall  suffer  death,  without  benefit  of  clergy." 
Such  a  bloody  law  could  only  be  a  brutemfulmen,  and  irritate  but 
not  deter.  To  try  its  effect.  Governor  Penn  sent  out  the  Rev.  Cap- 
tain John  Steele,  of  Carlisle,  a  Presbyterian,  and  three  other  citizens 
of  Cumberland  county,  to  visit  the  settlements,  distribute  proclama- 
tions embodying  the  law,  and  warn  the  settlers  to  quit.  They  go 
out  early  in  March,  by  Braddock's  road,  and  report  to  the  Governor 
that  they  had  done  as  commanded,  had  convened  the  settlers  at 
Redstone  and  at  Gist's,  read  the  Proclamation,  reasoned  with  them 
about  it,  and  preached  to  them ;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  While  at 
Redstone  [Brownsville]  a  deputation  of  Mingoes,  from  their  town  on 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  303 

the  Mingo  bottom  [below  Steubenville]  came  to  the  meeting,  and, 
after  sermon,  delivered  some  wampum  and  a  speech,  saying  :  "Ye 
are  come,  sent  by  your  great  men,  to  tell  these  people  to  go  away 
from  the  land  which  ye  say  is  ours ;  and  we  are  sent  by  our  great 
men,  and  we  tell  you  the  white  people  must  stop,  and  we  stop  them 
till  the  treaty."  The  "  treaty"  in  prospect  came  off  at  Fort  Pitt  in 
April  and  May,  1768 — between  1,000  and  2,000  Indians  there,  of 
the  Six  Nations,  Delawares,  Shawnees,  and  other  tribes — sundry  talks, 
belts,  and  wampums — ^1,000  in  presents  distributed;  but  the  only 
complaints  were  by  the  Pennsylvania  Commissioners  against  the 
Indians,  for  selling  their  lands  to  the  settlers,  and  the  interference 
of  the  Mingo  delegation  at  Redstone.  And  when  they  asked  the 
Mingo  chiefs  to  join  in  a  deputation  to  warn  off  the  settlers,  they 
declined  the  task,  the  old  Seneca  chief  Guyasutha  saying,  in  sub- 
stance, "You  will  soon  buy  our  lands,  and  these  people  will  be  our 
neighbors,  and  we  don't  want  to  offend  them."  And  so  ended  the 
"  treaty,"  and  the  settlers  did  not  go,  nor  did  any  of  them  "  suffer 
death  without  benefit  of  clergy."  The  old  chief  saw  that  "coming 
events  cast  their  shadows  before,"  for  in  the  ensuing  autumn  a 
great  "treaty"  was  had  at  Fort  Stanwix  (Rome,  N.  Y.),  at  which, 
for  ;^i  0,000,  the  Penns  bought  from  the  Six  Nations  all  the  before 
unbought  portions  of  the  province  except  that  which  was  north  and 
west  of  the  Allegheny  and  Ohio,  and  Conewango  creek,  the  outlet 
of  Lake  Chatauqua. 

It  is  inferred  that  up  to  1 768  no  considerable  settlements  were 
made  in  Southwestern  Pennsylvania  other  than  those  in  Fayette  and 
its  borders,  for  none  others  were  complained  of.  Mr.  Steele  estimated 
their  numbers  at  a  hundred  and  fifty  families,  which  would  not  ex- 
ceed eight  hundred  souls.  This  estimate,  however,  was  exclusive  of 
George  Croghan's  settlement  up  here  on  the  Allegheny,  above  the 
cemetery,  and  settlers  under  "mihtary  permits"  at  and  around 
Forts  Pitt  and  Burd,  and  perhaps  Ligonier,  and  along  the  roads 
leading  thereto.  These  all  would  not  add  more  than  two  or  three 
hundred  to  the  population.* 

*  The  statement  by  Smollett,  in  his  History  of  England,  that  the  erec- 
tion of  Fort  Pitt,  etc.,  in  1759-60,  «*gave  perfect  security  to  about /our 
thousand  settlers,  who  now  returned  to  the  quiet  possession  of  the  lands 
from  which  they  had  been  driven,"  is  sometimes  quoted  as  evidence 


304  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION 

On  the  3d  of  April,  1769,  the  Penn  proprietaries  opened  their 
land  office  in  Philadelphia,  for  acquiring  titles  to  lands  in  the  "  New- 
Purchase."  Within  the  first  month  there  were  3,200  applications,^ 
many  of  which  were  by  speculators.  For  four  or  five  years,  how- 
ever, the  waves  of  immigration  rolled  in  steadily,  with  ever-increas- 
ing volume,  bringing  the  people  who  gave  to  this  region  a  character 
which  it  has  never  lost,  though  materially  modified  by  changes  of 
industries  and  the  consequent  influx  of  populations  unknown  to  the 
fathers. 

Up  until  1 771  the  settlers  were  left  to  the  freedom  of  their  own 
will,  uninfluenced  except  by  the  Indians  and  traders,  and  the  agents 
and  feeble  garrisons  whom  the  King  kept  here  to  control  them — no 
taxes,  no  courts,  no  ministers  of  the  law,*  nor  of  the  Gospel,  out- 
side of  Fort  Pitt,  except  when  sent  here  on  some  special  mission,  as 
were  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Beatty  and  Duffield  in  1766,  and  Mr.  Steele 
in  1768. 

About  twenty-one  years  elapsed  between  the  erection  of  the  coun- 
ty of  Lancaster  (1729)  and  the  counties  of  York  (1749)  and  Cum- 
berland (1750).  A  like  period  run  before  the  erection  of  Bedford 
— the  ninth  of  the  series.  The  secret  of  this  slowness  has  been  at- 
tributed to  the  wish  to  retain  political  power  in  the  three  old  Quaker 
counties  of  Philadelphia,  Bucks,  and  Chester,  each  of  which,  by  the 
frame  of  government,  had  eight  members  of  Assembly,  while  to  each 
new  county  was  conceded  but  two  or  three.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the 
increased  and  increasing  ultramontane  population  demanded  _a 
closer  approach  of  the  civil  power  than  Carlisle. 

On  the  9th  of  March,  1771,  Bedford  county  was  set  up  over  all 

of  the  population,  at  that  date,  of  the  region  around  Pittsburgh.  Ad- 
mitting that  Smollett  knew  what  he  was  writing  about,  and  had  some 
reliable  data  for  the  statement — all  of  which  is  very  questionable — the 
context  shows  that  his  4, 000  settlers  covered  the  entire  frontiers  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland,  and  Virginia,  which  did  not  then  extend  west  of  the 
mountains.    See  Appendix,  No.  3. 

*  Strictly  this  statement  is  not  quite  correct.  In  May,  1770,  some  ten 
months  before  the  erection  of  Bedford  county,  Arthur  St.  Clair,  William 
Crawford,  Thomas  Gist,  and  Dorsey  Pentecost— all  historic  names — were 
among  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  appointed  for  Cumberland  county.  But 
they  have  left  no  trace  of  any  exercise  of  their  official  functions  until 
after  their  re-appointment  for  Bedford  county,  in  March,  1771,  and  again 
(except  Pentecost),  for  Westmoreland,  in  1773. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  30$ 

of  Southwestern  Pennsylvania.  The  Act  erecting  it  recognized 
Mason  and  Dixon's  line,  including  its  prolongation  beyond  Mary- 
land as  its  southern  boundary,  but  made  no  provision  for  a  western 
one  ;  nor,  except  on  the  north  and  east  borders  of  Greene,  and  in  the 
immediate  western  contiguities  of  Pittsburgh,  did  it  ever  attempt  to 
reach  beyond  the  Monongahela,  for  reasons  which  we  will  presently 
see.  With  the  seat  of  justice  a  hundred  miles  away  among  the  moun- 
tains, its  influence  was  necessarily  feeble,  its  arms  weak.  It  was, 
however,  subdivided  into  townships,  a  few  justices  of  the  peace 
resident  west  of  the  mountains  appointed,  some  roads  laid  out,  and 
taxes  assessed.  Many  shunned  its  embraces.  I  know  not  how  it 
operated  elsewhere  than  up  in  Fayette,  among  the  "disorderly" 
settlers.  There  it  was  fiercely  repelled.  Justices  of  the  peace  were 
contemned,  deputy  sheriffs  beaten  off,  and  combinations  entered 
into  to  resist  the  laws.  Even  official  surveys  slackened,  and  settlers 
squatted  without  right.  This  state  of  things  sprang  from  inherent 
antipathies,  fostered  by  demagogues  and  festered  by  the  ''bloody 
law;"  and  was  based  upon  the  uncertainty  whether  the  resistants 
were  in  Pennsylvania  or  Virginia.  "  When  the  back  line  comes  to 
be  run,"  they  said,  "if  we  are  in  Pennsylvania  we  will  submit." 
But  they  were  not  particularly  anxious  to  have  it  run.  It  must, 
however,  be  said  that  not  all  were  of  this  way  of  thinking  j  for  there 
were  not  wanting  those  who  were  desirous  to  live  under  regular  gov- 
ernment, of  which  they  could  then  have  none  other  than  that  of 
Pennsylvania. 

Superadded  to  the  causes  of  attachment  and  antipathy  already 
noted,  there  was  another  of  most  potent  efficacy  in  favor  of  Vir- 
ginia. This  was  in  the  great  disparity  between  the  two  colonies  in 
the  prices  of  lands.  The  Penns  sold  at  ^t^  sterling  per  hundred 
acres,  while  the  Virginia  rate  was  only  ten  shillings.  Without  any 
present  payment  a  settler  could,  under  either  colony,  acquire  an 
inceptive  or  preemption  right  by  improvement,  cultivation,  and  ac- 
tual residence  ;  and  the  fact  that  this  right  extended  to  four  hundred 
acres,  if  properly  designated,  and  there  was  no  interference  of  a 
prior  like  claim,  or  official  grant,  or  survey  duly  returned,  enabled 
the  settler  to  postpone  his  election  under  which  colony  he  would 
claim  until  he  would  come  to  pay  for  and  perfect  his  title.     For 

this  an  indefinite  indulgence  was  allowed.     In  this  way  many  of  the 
U 


^06  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

choicest  lands  in  Southwestern  Pennsylvania,  on  both  sides  of  the 
Monongahela,  were  long  held,  some,  perhaps,  to  this  day.  It  will 
readily  be  seen  how  this  state  of  things  presented  to  men  a  tempta- 
tion, upon  any  plausible  pretext,  to  change  their  allegiance,  or,  at 
least,  to  hold  it  in  abeyance. 

The  Bedford  county  machinery  worked  badly.  The  power  was 
too  far  from  the  weight  of  population.  After  less  than  two  years  of 
trial,  on  February  23d,  1773,  Westmoreland  county  was  erected, 
the  last  of  the  ante-Revolution  counties.  It  covered  all  of  what 
was  Bedford  west  of  the  lines  of  Cambria  and  Somerset,  and  is  a 
mother  of  counties.  It  undertook  no  definition  of  its  southern  or 
western  boundary  other  than  "as  far  as  the  province  extended." 
Its  seat  of  justice  was  fixed  temporarily  at  the  "house  of  Robert 
Hanna,"  where,  enlarged  to  Hannastown,  some  three  miles  north 
of  Greensburgh,  it  remained,  until  the  town  was  burnt  by  the  In- 
dians and  Tories,  in  July,  1782.  The  only  other  visible  change  which 
it  wrought  was  a  further  subdivision  of  its  territory  into  townships, 
some  more  roads,  and  an  increase  of  officers  and  taxes,  thereby 
bringing  the  restraints  and  burdens  of  government  into  more  close 
contact  with  the  people.  This  produced  some  friction,  but  so  far 
as  any  evidence  has  come  down  to  us,  the  average  aspect  of  society 
for  a  while  indicated  order,  contentment,  and  prosperity.  The 
baleful  colonial  policy  of  England  was  fast  engendering  the  tempest 
of  revolution  all  over  our  Atlantic  coasts,  but  as  yet  its  mutterings 
were  scarcely  heard  across  the  mountains.  Secretly,  but  surely,  a 
revolt  of  another  kind,  the  elements  of  which  had  been  long  gather- 
ing, was  now  being  matured,  and  ere  the  new  county  of  Westmore- 
land was  a  year  old,  it  suddenly  burst  forth  upon  Pittsburgh  and 
its  surroundings,  and  rapidly  spread  into  all  the  settlements  upon 
the  Monongahela  and  Youghiogheny. 

The  controversy  between  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  for  the  owner- 
ship of  this  region  of  country  has  in  it  too  many  complications  to  be 
here  unfolded.  That  controversy  was  inevitable,  and  some  of  the 
grounds  of  it  have  been  already  foreshadowed.  In  the  sequel  we 
can  only  point  to  such  of  its  prominent  elements  and  results  as  bear 
directly  upon  the  aim  we  are  seeking  to  give  to  our  subject. 

William  Penn  is  said  to  have  himself  drafted  his  charter  for  Penn- 
sylvania.    If  so,  he  was  a  much  better  law-giver  than  scrivener. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  307 

Besides  the  ambiguity  as  to  his  southern  limit,  he  left  the  mode  of. 
ascertaining  his  western  boundary  in  great  uncertainty.  All  that 
was  said  about  it  was  that  it  was  to  be  five  degrees  of  longitude  from 
the  Delaware,  his  eastern  bounds.  This  compelled  those  upon  whom 
his  title  devolved  to  claim  that  it  should  be  run  at  the  distance  of 
five  degrees  of  longitude  from  the  Delaware  at  every  point,  so  as 
to  make  a  curvilinear  line  over  hills  and  rivers  of  almost  impos- 
sible demarcation. 

Mason  and  Dixon's  line,  when  originally  established,  was  only 
for  a  boundary  between  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland.  Virginia  was 
in  no  wise  a  party  to  it.  It  was  run  by  actual  measurement  upon  the 
ground,  with  every  successive  mile  marked  by  posts.  Its  prolonga- 
tion, in  1767,  beyond  the  "meridian  of  the  first  fountain  "  of  the 
Potomac,  not  then  ascertained,  and  beyond  the  Monongahela,  ena- 
bled the-Penns,  by  some  ex  parte  surveys  and  computations,  to  con- 
clude that,  for  a  while,  and  as  far  as  it  went,  the  Monongahela 
would  serve  pretty  well  for  a  temporary  boundary.  Upon  their  in- 
terpretation of  the  charter,  it  would,  south  of  Pittsburgh,  be  a  very 
fair  compromise  line.  It  would  surrender  more  territory  than  would 
be  acquired,  as  any  one  can  see  by  tracing  a  line  parallel  with  the 
Delaware  upon  a  good  map,  running  northwardly  from  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  State,  which  is  distant  five  degrees  of  longitude 
from  the  Delaware,  in  that  latitude. 

The  width  of  a  degree  of  longitude  varies  according  to  the  lati- 
tudes it  crosses,  widest  at  the  equator,  contracting  towards  the  poles. 
Mason  and  Dixon  made  it,  in  the  latitude  of  their  line  (39°  43'  26") 
to  be  53  miles  and  167  i-io  perches.  Unless  they  had  greatly 
erred,  the  Penns  were  right  in  claiming  that  Pittsburgh,  the  great 
bone  of  contention — the  gateway  to  the  west — was  at  least  five  or 
six  miles  within  their  grant.  And  beyond  all  doubt  the  southeast 
triangular  half  of  what  is  now  Greene  county  was  within  it,  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  it  would  throw  out  a  very  considerable  portion  of 
the  Forks  of  Yough,  and  make  sad  havoc,  ultimately,  of  all  the  bor- 
der counties  north  of  the  Ohio.  Hence,  at  the  first  opening  of  the 
land  office,  in  1769,  for  the  "  new  purchase  "  of  1768,  and  for  some 
two  or  three  years  after,  the  Proprietaries  did  not  hesitate  to  grant 
rights  to  lands  in  that  triangle,  and  may  probably  have  granted  some 
on  Saw-Mill  Run  and  the  lower  valley  of  Chartiers.     Upon  tlie  erec- 


3oS  PRESBYTER/AJV  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

tion  of  Bedford  county,  the  people  of  Greene  were  included  in  the 
taxables  for  Springhill  township,  the  body  of  which  was  in  Fayette, 
but  I  cannot  find  that  there  were  any  residents  across  the  river  from 
Pittsburgh  subjected  to  taxation.  Nor  is  it  believed  that  at  any  time 
prior  to  the  adjustment  of  the  dispute,  and  to  the  erection  of  Wash- 
ington county,  in  1781,  any  taxes  had  been  collected,  or  any  serious 
attempt  made  to  exercise  jurisdiction  west  of  the  Monongahela. 
This  abstinence  added  to  the  readily  accepted  belief  that  in  no  event 
could  Pennsylvania  extend  beyond  that  natural  boundary.  But,  up 
to  that  river,  in  its  whole  extent  below  the  crossing  of  Mason  and 
Dixon's  line,  even  in  that  part  of  the  Forks  of  Yough  which  the  par- 
allel line  would  exclude,  jurisdiction  was  claimed  and  exercised. 
No  doubt  there  were  knowing  ones  who  knew  this,  and  being  a  popu- 
lous and  valuable  region,  it  was  natural  that  some  disaffection  should 
exist  there. 

There  was  still  another  source  of  disaffection  west  of  the  Mon- 
ongahela and  Ohio,  over  from  Pittsburgh.  George  Croghan,  the 
Deputy  Indian  Agent-General,  resident  near  Fort  Pitt,  a  man  of 
energy  and  influence,  had  procured  from  the  Indians  at  the  Treaty 
of  Fort  Stanwix,  in  1768,  a  grant  of  some  200,000  acres  westward 
from  those  rivers,  and  above  Raccoon,  provided  it  should  not  fall 
within  Pennsylvania.  It  was  then,  and  for  many  years  afterwards, 
an  accepted  belief  that  such  sales  conferred  a  valid  title.  He  pro- 
ceeded, about  1 7  71,  to  lay  off  his  grant,  or  part  of  it,  between  Rac- 
coon and  Pigeon  Creek,  extending  into  the  interior  ten  or  fifteen 
miles.  He  had  a  back  line  run,  which  is,  perhaps  yet  known  as 
Croghan's  line,  and  was  trying  to  sell  in  lots  of  not  less  than  ten 
thousand  acres,  at  jQ$  per  hundred.*  This  brought  him  and  his 
retainers  and  dependents  into  conflict  with  the  chartered  rights  of 
Pennsylvania  in  that  direction. 

Altogether,  therefore,  the  Penn  Proprietaries  had  a  combination 
of  perplexities  and  influences  against  them  which  nothing  but  stub- 
born right  could  resist ;  and  the  times  were  not  yet  auspicious  for 
its  predominance.  It  is  no  wonder,  then,  that  they  were  willing, 
for  the  present,  to  make  the  Monongahela  their  boundary. 

About  the  time  these  boundary  troubles  began,  and  while  they 

♦Washington's  Journal  of  1770;  Pennsylvania  Archives,  IV.,  424-5. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  J09 

were  ripening  into  revolt,  two  very  different  classes  of  people  had 
come  into  this  region  of  country ;  and  as  they  contributed,  though 
in  very  diverse  ways,  to  the  stirring  events"  which  enter  so  largely 
into  our  history  during  the  last  quarter  of  the  last  century,  they  may 
now  be  introduced. 

Almost  from  the  first  plantation  of  Virginia  up  to  the  outbreak 
of  the  Revolution,  Great  Britain  had  enforced  the  policy  of  sending 
over  to  the  middle  and  southern  American  Colonies,  from  England, 
Scotland,  and  Ireland,  many  of  the  very  worst  and  meanest  con- 
victed felons.  James  I.  began  it  by  ordering  "  dissolute  persons  to 
be  sent  to  Virginia."  In  a  statute  of  fourth  George  I.  (1718),  among 
the  reasons  assigned  for  this  shameless  policy  was,  that  "  in  many 
of  his  Majesty's  colonies  and  plantations  there  was  a  great  want  of 
servants,  who,  by  their  labor  and  industry,  might  be  the  means  of 
improving  and  making  the  said  colonies  and  plantations  more  useful 
to  his  Majesty.''''  "  It  was  calculated  that  about  the  year  1750  not 
less  than  from  three  to  four  hundred  felons  were  annually  brought 
into  Maryland.  "*  Virginia,  Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania  repeatedly 
passed  laws  in  restraint  of  this  influx  of  a  vicious  population ;  but 
they  were  disallowed  by  the  King,  in  Council,  as  being  derogatory 
to  the  supremacy  of  the  Crown  and  Parliament.  Of  course,  after 
being  landed  they  had  the  run  of  the  colonies.  It  is  known  that 
many  of  them  were  from  the  southern  and  western  provinces  of 
Ireland,  some  even  from  Ulster.  Naturally,  they  would  drift  to  the 
further  shores  of  civilization,  as  far  as  possible  beyond  the  reach  of 
law,  ready  for  participation  in  any  tumults  that  might  arise.  Many 
of  them  are  said  to  have  congregated  in  and  around  Pittsburgh,  and 
especially  along  the  borders  of  the  Monongahela  and  upper  Ohio — 
hangers-on  upon  the  Indian  trade,  or  retainers  of  men  who  aimed 
at  prominence  around  them.  All  of  these  went  by  the  general 
name  of  Irish,  and  were  too  easily  confounded  with  the  better  class 
of  Scotch-Irish.  We  will  see  much  of  their  power  for  mischief  when 
we  come  to  the  Whiskey  Insurrection ;  and  they  were  specially  con- 
spicuous in  the  overt  acts  of  outrage  and  violence  which  charac- 
terized the  early  stages  of  the  Virginia  usurpation. 

♦Pitkin's  Hist.  U.  S.,  Vol.  1.,  132;  Judge  .Chambers'  "Tribute,"  35; 
Col,  Rec.  of  Pa.,  V.,  499,  550. 


PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 


The  Other  and  better  class  were  immigrants  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage, 
who  came  as  well  from  the  North  of  Ireland  directly  as  from  the 
localities  in  which  their  countrymen  had  settled,  conspicuously  from 
the  nursery,  and  parts  which  it  had  contributed  to  populate. 

Between  1771  and  1773  occurred  the  second  of  the  great  migra- 
tions from  Ulster,  to  which  we  have  before  adverted.  "  The  cause 
of  this  second  extensive  emigration  was  somewhat  similar  to  that  of 
the  first.  It  is  well  known  that  a  great  portion  of  the  lands  in  Ire- 
land are  owned  by  a  comparatively  small  number  of  proprietors, 
who  rent  them  to  the  farming  classes  on  long  leases.  In  1771,  the 
leases  on  an  estate  in  the  County  of  Antrim — the  property  of  the 
Marquis  of  Donegall — having  expired,  the  rents  were  so  largely  ad- 
vanced that  many  of  the  tenants  could  not  comply  with  the  de- 
mands, and  were  deprived  of  the  farms  they  had  occupied.  This 
aroused  a  general  spirit  of  resentment  to  the  oppressions  of  the 
large  landed  proprietors,  and  an  immediate  and  extensive  emigra- 
tion to  America  was  the  consequence.  From  1771  to  1773  there 
sailed  from  the  ports  of  the  North  of  Ireland  nearly  one  hundred 
vessels,  carrying  as  many  as  twenty-five  thousand  passengers,-  all 
Presbyterians.  This  was  shortly  before  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Revolutionary  War ;  and  these  people,  leaving  the  Old  World  in 
such  a  temper,  became  a  powerful  contribution  to  the  cause  of 
liberty,  and  to  the  separation  of  the  colonies  from  the  mother 
country. 

' '  These  Scotch-Irish  emigrants  landed  principally  at  New  Castle 
and  Philadelphia,  and  found  their  way  northward  and  westward  into 
the  eastern  and  middle  counties  of  Pennsylvania.  From  thence  one 
stream  followed  the  great  Cumberland  Valley  into  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina,  and  from  thence  colonies  passed  into  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see. Another  powerful  body  went  into  Western  Pennsylvania,  and 
settling  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Ohio,  became  famous  both  in 
civil  and  ecclesiastical  history,  and  have  given  to  the  region  around 
Pittsburgh  the  name  it  so  well  deserves,  of  being  the  back-bone  of 
Presbyterianism."  * 

Besides  these  emigrants  direct  from  Ireland,  great  numbers  came, 
as  already  stated,  from  the  nursery;  from  Cecil  county,  Maryland; 

*  J.  Smith  Futhey's  Histerical  Discourse  at  150th  Anniversary  of  Upper 
Octorara  Presbyterian  Church,  September  14,  1870,  page  31. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  Jtl 

from  Chester,  Lancaster,  and  York  counties,  Pennsylvania;  and  from 
New  Castle  county,  Delaware.  Dr.  McMillan,  Mr.  Smith,  Mr. 
Power,  Mr.  Finley,  and  Mr.  Henderson,  all,  when  they  came  here, 
found  themselves  among  old  friends  and  acquaintances.  It  is  a 
great  mistake  to  suppose  that  they  came  here  after  the  manner  of 
missionaries  of  modern  times ;  their  people  were  here  before  them, 
waiting  for  them  to  come  to  gather  them  into  folds  and  watch  over 
them  as  good  shepherds.  Dr.  McMillan's  journal  shows  that  wherever 
he  went,  as  well  on  the  east  as  on  the  west  sides  of  the  Monongahela, 
and  up  through  the  valley  of  Virginia,  in  his  tours  of  1775  and. 
1776,  he  found  well-known  faces  and  some  relatives.  It  is  said  that 
during  the  period  that  intervened  between  Mr.  Finley's  first  visit  to 
the  West  and  his  removal  in  1 783,  as  many  as  thirty-four  families,  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  young  married  persons  connected  with  his  congre- 
gation of  East  Nottingham  or  the  Rock,  on  the  borders  of  Cecil  and 
Chester  counties,  had  emigrated  to  Western  Pennsylvania,  and 
settled  within  an  area  of  not  over  forty  miles  diameter.*  Twenty- 
two  of  the  men  of  this  migration  became  elders,  and  prominent  and 
useful  men  in  church  and  state.  Philip  Tanner,  Mr.  Power's  father- 
in-law,  had  been  one  of  Mr.  Finley's  elders  at  East  Nottingham. 
He  owned  the  land  on  Dunlap's  Creek,  in  Fayette  county,  on  which 
Mr.  Power  resided  when  Dr.  McMillan  tarried  with  him  on  his  re- 
moval to  Chartiers,  in  1778.  He  also  owned  two  tracts  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rehoboth  meeting-house,  and  it  is  believed  died  there 
about  the  time  of  Mr.  Finley's  death.  James  Edgar,  one  of  Mr. 
Smith's  elders,  whose  praise  is  in  all  the  churches,  as  well  as  in  our 
civil  annals,  was  from  York  county,  where  he  was  a  church  elder, 
and  from  which,  before  his  removal  to  Cross  Creek  in  1778,  he  had 
been  a  prominent  representative  in  several  of  the  conventions  and 
in  one  Assembly  of  the  State  in  the  Revolutionary  period.  He  was 
a  great  man  and  greatly  good,f  and  filled  important  stations,  legisla- 
tive and  judicial,  in  Washington  county.  He  brought  with  him  and 
attracted  many  of  his  York  county  neighbors.  A  research  into  the 
antecedents  of  the  long  list  of  elders  named  by  Dr.  Smith  in  his 
"  Old  Redstone  "  (page  456),  warrants  the  assertion  that  at  least  one 

*  Dr.  Smith's  "Old  Kedstone,"  285  ;  Life  of  Macurdy,  252. 
t  See  the  curious  *'  Solemn  League  and  Covenant,"  in  Dr.  Creigh's  HiS' 
tory  of  Washington  County,  pages  47-50. 


312  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION, 

half  of  them  were  from  the  nursery.  Rev.  Mr.  Henderson,  the 
pioneer  of  the  Secession  or  U.  P.  Churches  in  the  West,  was  from 
Oxford,  in  Chester  county,  and  had  charge  also  of  a  church  at  Pen- 
cader,  in  the  border  of  New  Castle  county,  Delaware.  Very  many, 
perhaps  all,  of  his  people  had  come  from  that  region,  and  from 
Scotland  and  Ireland.  Time  would  fail  to  tell  of  all  the  Scotch- 
Irish  worthies  who  infused  themselves  into  our  early  settlements  just 
before  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  at  its  close ; 
"who,  through  faith  wrought  righteousness"  throughout  all  our 
border. 

We  return  now  to  some  of  the  prominent  events  and  results  of 
the  Virginia  usurpation.  We  call  it  usurpation,  for  such  it  undoubt- 
edly was  east  of  the  Monongahela.  West  of  that  river  her  sway 
was  entitled  to  a  milder  name. 

Of  all  the  Governors  whom  the  King,  in  the  closing  years  of  his 
supremacy,  sent  over  to  dragoon  his  restless  American  colonies  into 
"passive  obedience,"  the  most  arrogant  and  rapacious  was  John, 
Earl  of  Dunmore,  "  a  needy  Scotch  peer  of  the  house  of  Murray." 
He  had,  in  1771,  tried  his  "  'prentice  hand"  in  governorship,  over 
New  York,  where  he  played  "  such  fantastic  tricks"  in  rapacity  as  to 
bring  his  career  to  a  hasty  and  ignominious  close.  Being  too  supple 
a  minion  of  arbitrary  power  to  be  retired,  he  was,  in  1772,  transferred 
to  his  Majesty's  ancient  Colony  and  Dominion  of  Virginia,  where 
he  found  a  wider  scope  for  his  land  greed,  which  was  insatiable,  and 
for  his  tyrannies,  which  knew  no  bounds  but  his  own  personal  safety. 
Virginia,  as  he  and  his  Majesty's  Council  in  that  Colony  understood 
it,  covered  not  only  the  south-eastern  borders  of  the  Ohio,  but  all 
the  territory  north-west  of  that  river  to  the  Mississippi.  About 
this  period  those  regions  began  to  swarm  with  land  jobbers  and 
adventurers  of  all  kinds,  and  his  cupidity  went  forth  in  that  direc- 
tion. He  saw  at  a  glance  that  the  Monongahela  below  Redstone 
was  the  great  water  avenue  from  Eastern  Virginia  to  that  territory, 
and  that  Pittsburgh  held  the  portals.  They  must  be  acquired  at  all 
hazards. 

In  the  summer  of  1 773  his  lordship  projected  and  executed  a  land 
hunt  tour  into  the  West.  Washington  was  to  have  accompanied 
him,  to  look  after  the  land  bounties  of  himself  and  other  officers 
iind  soldiers  of  the  French  War  of  1755-63,  but  was  prevented  by 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  313 


the  death  of  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Washington.  Dunmore  took  Pitts- 
burgh in  his  way,  going  and  returning,  and  while  here  made  the 
acquaintance  of  one  Doctor  John  Connolly,  a  renegade  Pennsyl- 
vanian  prone  to  political  intrigue,  and  schooled  in  all  the  wiles  of 
wilderness  adventure ;  the  same  who  was  of  the  dinner  party  which 
Washington,  when  in  Pittsburgh,  returning  from  his  voyage  down 
the  Ohio  in  1770,  gave  at  the  "very  good  house  of  public  enter- 
tainment" on  the  south-east  corner  of  Water  and  Ferry  streets,  kept 
by  Samuel  Semple,  Connolly's  prospective  father-in-law,  as  related 
by  Washington  in  his  journal  of  that  tour.  He  was  the  right  man 
for  Dunmore ;  so  much  so  that  it  might  be  a  question  whether  he 
swallowed  Connolly,  or  Connolly  him. 

Doubtless  Connolly  had  accompanied  Dunmore  into  the  West, 
and  while  on  the  expedition  and  here  the  scheme  of  the  usurpation 
was  concocted.  A  willing  populace  seemed  ready  for  it ;  and  to 
perfect  it  Connolly  paid  him  a  visit  at  his  "palace"  in  Williams- 
burgh,  during  the  Christmas  holidays  of  that  year.  Forthwith,  upon 
his  return,  early  in  January,  1774,  without  any  notice  to  any  of  the 
Pennsylvania  officials  at  Philadelphia  or  elsewhere,  the  usurpation 
was  inaugurated  at  Fort  Pitt,  now  christened  Fort  Dunmore.  It 
was  both  military  and  civil,  Connolly  being  constituted  Captain 
Commandant  of  all  the  militia  of  Pittsburgh  and  its  dependencies. 
Efficient  coadjutors  were  found  in  Dorsey  Pentecost,  who  then  re- 
sided in  the  Forks  of  Yough,  at  whose  house  Dr.  McMillan  preached 
his  fifth  sermon  in  the  West,  in  August,  1775,  and  who  afterwards 
became  his  neighbor  on  the  East  Branch  of  Chartiers,  and  a  promi- 
nent man  in  Washington  County,  of  whom  we  will  hear  more  when 
we  get  over  there.  He  had  been  a  Bedford  county  justice,  but 
was — doubtless  for  good  reasons — left  out  of  the  commission  for 
Westmoreland.  The  unfortunate  Col.'  William  Crawford,  who  was 
then  presiding  justice  of  the  courts  of  Westmoreland,  soon  came  to 
his  aid,  as  did  also  many  other  men  of  distinction.  These,  backed  by 
Connolly's  militia,  composed,  as  Col.  Crawford  characterized  them 
before  his  defection,  "of  men  without  character  and  without  for- 
tune, and  who  would  be  equally  averse  to  the  regular  administra- 
tion of  justice  under  Virginia  as  they  are  to  that  under  Pennsylva- 
nia," very  soon  bore  down  all  opposition,  and  the  usurpation  be- 
came complete. 


3H 


PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


Pennsylvania  had,  at  this  juncture,  in  Westmoreland,  some  very 
resolute  and  loyal  justices,  among  them  Arthur  (afterwards  General) 
St.  Clair,  then  the  prothonotary,  etc.,  of  the  county;  George  Wil- 
son, of  Mt.  Moriah  Church  vicinity — of  whom  tnore  hereafter; 
Thomas  Scott,  then  residing  near  the  meeting-house  of  Dunlap's 
Creek  Presbyterian  Church,  in  Fayette,  afterwards  the  first  pro- 
thonotary, etc.,  of  Washington  county,  and  the  first  member  of 
Congress  from  Western  Pennsylvania,  and  several  others  in  and 
around  Pittsburgh.  They  did  all  they  could  to  counteract  and 
break  down  the  usurpation ;  but,  having  no  militia  to  sustain  them, 
they  were  utterly  powerless.  At  its  earliest  announcement  by  Con- 
nolly, St.  Clair  had  him  arrested  and  committed  to  the  jail  at  Han- 
nastown,  from  which  he  was  soon  discharged  on  bail  for  his  appear- 
ance at  court  there.  When  court  came  he  appeared,  with  his 
"militia"  in  his  train,  defied  the  court,  and  shut  the  court-house 
door  upon  the  judges.  For  stoutly,  but  discreetly,  asserting  their 
powers  and  privileges,  Connolly  had  three  of  the  justices  of  the 
court  who  resided  at  and  near  Pittsburgh — Andrew  McFarlane, 
^neas  McKay,  and  Devereaux  Smith — sent  off  under  arrest  to 
Augusta  jail,  at  Staunton,  from  which  Dunmore  had  the  manliness 
to  release  them.  Subsequently,  the  Westmoreland  jail  was  assaulted 
and  broken  by  mobs,  led  by  Simon  Girty,  "and  such,"  under 
orders  from  Connolly  and  Crawford,  and  prisoners,  committed  by 
Pennsylvania  justices,  were  set  at  liberty.  These  are  but  samples  of 
the  enormities  that  were  perpetrated.  During  the  year  1774,  and 
up  to  the  middle  of  1775,  when  Lexington  and  Concord  and  Bunker 
Hill  had  turned  the  current  of  feeling  into  other  channels,  the  ad- 
herents of  Pennsylvania  in  the  infected  district  were  subjected,  in 
their  persons,  houses,  and  property,  to  all  sorts  of  insults,  violence, 
vexatious  suits,  and  oppressions.  And  yet,  perhaps,  because  of  the 
resistless  supremacy  of  the  Virginia  partizans,  no  blood  was  shed. 

To  induce  a  withdrawal  of  the  invasion.  Governor  Penn  had  re- 
course to  negotiation  with  Dunmore,  and  a  special  embassy  to  his 
palace ;  but  without  any  other  result  than  to  disclose  more  fully  the 
conflicting  claims  of  the  parties.  The  Governor  proposed  to  make 
the  Monongahela  a  temporary  line  of  jurisdiction,  but  his  lordship 
indignantly  scouted  it,  saying  that  under  nothing  short  of  his  Ma- 
jesty's orders  would  he  relinquish  his  hold  upon  Pittsburgh. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  31  s 

Dunmore  affected  to  be,  and  perhaps  was,  intensely  loyal  to  his 
King.  So  was  Connolly,  and  they  were  equally  reckless.  Under 
orders  emanating  from  Connolly,  aided  by  aggressions  of  the  land- 
jobbers,  the  Indian  War  of  1774,  known  in  history  as  Dunmore'sor 
Cresap's  War,  was  brought  on.  It  was  purely  the  result  of  murders 
and  aggressions  by  Virginians,  and  the  Indians  had  discernment 
enough  to  so  regard  it.  During  its  short-lived  fury  they  never 
crossed  the  Monongahela  in  their  rage  for  plunder  and  revenge. 
Dunmore  afterwards  upbraided  them  for  this  partiality.  It  was  not 
until  the  War  of  the  Revolution  had  brought  the  British,  and  refu- 
gees and  Tories  in  Canada  and  Detroit,  to  aid  and  instigate  them, 
that  they  ever  afterwards  invaded  the  soil  of  Pennsylvania. 

To  "chastise"  the  Ohio  Indians  for  their  retaliation  and  par- 
tiality, Dunmore,  with  numerous  recruits  to  his  forces  from  his  par- 
tizans  along  the  Monongahela  below  Redstone,  led  in  person  one 
division  from  Pittsburgh,  down  the  Ohio  to  Hockhocking ;  and 
after  betraying  Col.  Lewis  into  almost  a  defeat  at  Point  Pleasant, 
made  a  hasty  peace  at  Camp  Charlotte.  While  his  campaign  was 
going  on,  the  first  Congress  of  the  Revolution  was  sitting  at  Phila- 
delphia ;  and  he  had  sense  enough  to  see  that  he  would  soon  be 
needed  at  home,  and  that  two  things  within  his  power  to  promote 
might  greatly  aid  the  cause  of  the  King — the  favor  of  the  Indians 
and  intestine  feuds  between  the  colonies — and  he  shaped  his  policy 
accordingly.*  He  returned  by  the  route  he  went,  and  signalized  his 
bivouac  at  Fort  Burd  (Brownsville),  by  causing  Thomas  Scott  to 
be  committed  for  trial  for  treason  against  Virginia,  at  an  Augusta 
Court,  to  be  held  at  Fort  Dunmore,  from  which  he  was  not  re- 
leased until  accumulated  resentment  and  the  beginning  of  the  war 

*  Notwithstanding  the  manifest  treachery  of  Dunmore  in  these  tran- 
sactions, and  his  palpable  antagonisms  about  this  time  to  the  dearest 
rights  of  the  colonists,  the  second  Revolutionary  Convention  of  Vir- 
ginia, in  session  at  Richmond,  in  March,  1775 — the  same  in  which  Patrick 
Henry  made  his  celebrated  "  we  must  fight — liberty  or  death"  speech — 
passed  a  most  fulsome  commendatory  resolution  of  his  conduct  in  this 
campaign.  And  when,  in  1802-3,  his  son,  "without  one  solitary  ray  of 
native  genius,"  and  of  "manners  bold,  forward,  and  assuming,"  made  a 
visit  to  Virginia,  he  was  feted,  feasted,  and  toadied  to,  by  the  "first 
families,''  as  if  a  son  of  her  greatest  benefactor.  See  Wirt's  "British 
Spy,"  Letter  1,  and  letter  of  Wirt  to  Dabney  Carr,  January  16,  1801,  in 
Kennedy's  Life  of  Wirt,  Vol.  I.,  Chap.  IX. 


3i6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

for  liberty  had  burst  his  prison  bounds,  and  set  many  of  Connolly's 
captives  free.     The  year  of  jubilee  had  come  to  Pittsburgh. 

Ere  midsummer  of  1775  a  mighty  change  had  come  over  the 
temper  of  the  colonies,  compelling,  almost  everywhere,  their  op- 
pressors to  yield  to  the  upheaval  of  popular  resentment,  or  be 
buried  beneath  it.  Dunmore  had  fled  in  terror  from  his  palace  in 
Williamsburgh,  to  play  governor  on  shipboard,  and  pirate  on  the 
inlets  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  Connolly's  enormities  and  Tory  pro- 
clivities had  at  length  so  roused  the  indignation  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nians,  that  a  party  of  them  from  Hannastown  swooped  down  upon 
Fort  Dunmore,  and  rescued  the  justices  and  tax  collectors  there  im- 
prisoned. Under  the  guidance  of  Sheriff  Carnahan  and  Col.  George 
Wilson,  they  captured  the  arch  offender  himself,  and  hurried  him 
off"  towards  Philadelphia.  By  reprisals  upon  three  of  the  justices, 
including  Col.  Wilson,  and  sending  them  off"  to  Fort  Fincastle,  at 
Wheeling,  Connolly's  friends  procured  his  release  ere  he  reached 
his  destination.  Early  in  July,  soon  after  his  return  to  Pittsburgh, 
he  fled,  to  condole  with  his  lordship  at  Portsmouth  in  Virginia,  and 
devise  new  schemes  of  mischief  He  never  returned,  to  the  great 
relief,  as  well  of  the  oppressed,  as  of  many  of  his  coadjutors  in  op- 
pression. On  his  way  from  Dunmore,  after  a  visit  to  Gage  at 
Boston,  with  a  Lieut. -Colonel's  commission  to  raise  a  regiment  of 
Tories  and  Indians  in  the  West,  he  was  captured  near  Hagerstown 
in  Maryland,  and  consigned  to  the  Continental  Congress  at 
Philadelphia,  by  whom  he  was  kept  a  close  prisoner  there  and  at 
Baltimore,  with  occasional  releases  on  bail  and  on  parole — all  of  which 
he  violated,  and  therefor  was  re-committed — until  near  the  close  of 
the  war,  when  he  retired  to  Canada  as  a  British  officer  on  half- 
pay,  waiting  and  watching  perhaps  to  the  end  of  his  life  for  some- 
thing to  turn  up,  whereby  he  might  "  feed  fat  his  ancient  grudge" 
against  the  United  States.  He  merited  a  halter  more  than  did 
Andre.* 

It  might  be  supposed  that  upon  the  downfall  of  the  Dunmore 
dynasty  the  usurpation  would  have  been  withdrawn.  But  not  so. 
Spurning  the  tyrannies  of  his  lordship  at  home,  Virginia  clung  to 
his  aggressions  abroad.  The  early  battles  of  the  Revolution  seem 
to  have  paralyzed  the  Proprietary  government  of  Pennsylvania  into 
*  See  Appendix,  No.  1. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  31  j 

Utter  unconcern  about  our  boundary  troubles.  Frequent  appeals 
for  relief  brought  no  response.  In  the  meantime,  amid  the  cry, 
to  arms  !  new  actors  come  upon  the  stage,  who  are  too  busy  with 
affairs  of  greater  moment  to  give  any  heed  to  a  mere  border  strife. 
Men  and  munitions  of  war  had  to  be  provided,  and  new  govern- 
ments organized,  "  founded  upon  the  authority  of  the  people  only." 
Men  from  the  disputed  territory  were  marching  to  the  front,  under 
the  banners  of  the  Colony  to  which  they  respectively  adhered ;  and 
for  the  present  that  was  all  that  was  needed.  This  lull  in  the  strife 
enables  us  to  go  back  a  little  to  gather  up  some  of  its  ingredients 
which  have  a  bearing  upon  the  purpose  for  which  we  are  consider- 
ing it. 

Upon  the  revocation  of  the  old  charter  of  1609  to  the  London 
Company,  Virginia  became  a  royal  colony,  with  just  such  territorial 
limits  as  occupancy  gave  to  her  without  interfering  with  any  other 
^rant  from  the  King.  The  Dominion  of  Virginia  was  a  different 
thing,  consisting  of  all  the  domain  of  Great  Britain  in  America 
adjoining  the  Colony,  which  had  not  been  granted  to  some  other 
Colony  or  Proprietary,  as  were  the  Carolinas,  Maryland,  and  Penn- 
sylvania. But  by  an  adroit  annexation  of  the  Colony  to  the  Do- 
minion, Virginia  came,  in  time,  to  consider  them  as  one  and  the 
same  thing ;  and  practically,  for  many  purposes,  they  were  so.  For 
this,  however,  she  had  no  other  basis  than  having  been,  for  a  long 
time,  constituted  keeper  for  the  King  of  this  ungranted  dominion. 
It  was  upon  this  ground  that  Dunmore  asserted  her  right  to  rule  in 
the  disputed  territory,  assuming  that  it  was  outside  of  the  grant  to 
William  Penn,  and  had  been  settled  under  Virginia.  Grant  his 
premises,  and  his  conclusion  is  a  fair  one.  He  probably  knew  that 
Virginia,  as  a  Colony,  had  repeatedly,  and  in  every  form  of  repu- 
diation, disowned  the  old  charter  of  1609  ;  and  it  comported  better 
with  his  exalted  sense  of  his  vice-royal  prerogative  to  put  the  usurpa- 
tion upon  a  loftier  pretence.  This  was  all  well  enough  while  Vir- 
ginia remained  a  loyal  Colony ;  but  upon  her  revolt,  and  throwing 
off  her  kingly  keeper-ship,  she  thereby  severed  herself  from  the 
Dominion,  and  henceforth  had  to  it  nothing  more  than  a  right  in 
common  with  the  other  States  of  the  Old  Thirteen.  Those  who 
swayed  her  councils  about  this  time  probably  saw  this,  and  were, 
therefore,  driven  to  evoke  from  its  grave  of  ages  the  old  charter  of 


3i8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

1609,  for  the  double  purpose  of  saving  the  transmontane  territory 
of  which  she  had  possessed  herself,  and  from  which  her  eastern 
settlements  were  widely  separated,  and  of  frightening  off  the  in- 
ceptive Colonies  of  Transylvania  and  Vandalia,  then  rising  in  the 
West.  Ultimately,  as  our  early  national  history  discloses,  by  her 
dominant  rank  as  a  State,  and  by  combining  with  other  States  which 
claimed  "from  sea  to  sea,"  she  pertinaciously  kept  up  a  show  of 
title  to  the  vast  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  now  five  or  six 
States,  to  which  she  had  no  more  right  than  had  the  State  of  Dela- 
ware. This,  however,  does  not  concern  us  now,  or  here;  and  I 
have  adverted  to  it  only  to  give  strength  to  the  assertion  that,  even 
to  the  territory  west  of  the  Monongahela,  she  had  no  other  founda- 
tion of  right  than  priority  of  settlement  and  acquiescence.  The 
States  united  had  much  stronger  ground  upon  which  to  challenge 
her  title  there  than  she  had  to  interfere  with  Pennsylvania  east  of 
that  river.     But  time  and  recognition  have  cured  all  defects. 

The  first  Constitution  of  Virginia,  adopted  June  29,  1776,  has  in 
it  these  very  singular  provisions  :  "  The  territories  contained  within 
the  charters  erecting  the  Colonies  of  Maryland,  Pennsylvania, 
North  and  South  Carolina,  are  hereby  ceded,  released,  and  for  ever 
confirmed  to  the  people  of  those  Colonies,  respectively,  with  all  the 
rights  of  property,  jurisdiction,  and  government,  and  all  other 
rights  whatsoever  which  might  at  any  time  heretofore  have  been 

claimed  by  Virginia The  western  and  northern  extent 

of  Virginia  shall,  in  all  other  respects,  stand  as  fixed  by  the  charter 
of  King  James  I.,  in  the  year  1609,  and  by  the  public  treaty  of 
peace  between  Great  Britain  and  France,  in  1763."  It  was  very 
kind  in  her  to  stop  at  the  Mississippi ;  and  no  doubt  Maryland  and 
the  Carolinas  breathed  freer  after  this,  and  so  would  Pennsylvania 
have  done,  had  it  not  been  that  Virginia  still  maintained  her  aggres- 
sions east  of  the  Monongahela. 

Settlements  in  Virginia  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge  began  about  1730. 
To  provide  for  their  government,  that  Colony,  in  1 738,  erected  the 
whole  territory  westward  of  that  mountain  barrier  into  the  counties 
of  Frederick  and  Augusta.  The  line  of  separation  between  them 
was  a  prolongation  of  the  southwest  line  of  what  is  now  the  county 
of  Shenandoah  to  the  southern  terminus  of  the  west  boundary  of 
Maryland,  at  Fairfax's  stone,  "  the  head  fountain  "  of  the  Potomac, 


THE   SECULAR  HISTORY.  jig 

and  thence  indefinitely  "west  and  northwest,"  covering  what  are 
now  some  fifty  or  sixty  counties  and  four  or  five  States,  "  omitting 
fractions." 

During  1 774,  '5,  and  '6,  the  disputed  territory  and  all  west  of  it  to 
the  Ohio  was  treated  by  Virginia  as  part  of  Augusta  county.  Pre- 
cisely when,  how,  and  with  what  limits,  if  any,  what  came  to  be 
known  as  the  District  of  West  Augusta  was  erected,  it  is  bootless  now 
to  inquire.  It  is  enough  for  us  to  know  that  during  those  years 
Virginia  ruled  it  by  that  name.  Courts  composed  of  Dunmore's 
justices,  most  of  whom  resided  in  the  disputed  territory,  were  held 
at  Fort  Dunmore  (Pittsburgh)  upon  adjournments  from  Staunton. 
Taxes  were  levied,  and  perhaps  some  of  them  paid ;  roads,  mills, 
taverns,  and  ferries  were  authorized ;  ear  marks  and  title  deeds  re- 
corded ;  and  many  other  judicial  functions  exercised  adapted  to  the 
times,  and  especially  to  crushing  out  whatever  of  loyalty  to  Penn- 
sylvania showed  itself  in  the  disputed  territory.  Deserted  by  the 
government  at  Philadelphia,  what  could  its  friends  do  but  submit  to 
the  inevitable  and  'bide  their  time  ?  It  was  not  long  until  the  only 
undisputed  jurisdiction  of  Pennsylvania  west  of  the  mountains  was 
crowded  into  a  little  region  around  Hannastown,  reaching  no 
where  more  than  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  towards  the  Monon- 
gahela. 

We  can  now  see  why  it  was  that  when  Dr.  McMillan  was  sent  out 
by  his  Presbytery,  in  1775,  and  again  in  1776,  his  commission  was 
cautiously  worded,  to  go  to  "Augusta  a«^  Westmoreland."  From 
the  time  he  got  two  days'  journey  up  the  Shenandoah  valley,  if  he 
kept  his  bearings  towards  the  setting  sun,  go  where  he  would,  he 
was  within  the  bounds  of  his  mission.  And  if  at  most  places  where 
he  preached,  between  the  mountains  and  the  Monongahela,  he  had 
lyen  challenged  to  elect  his  allegiance,  he  could  have  answered : 
"  Non  nobis  inter  vos  tantas  componere  lites." 

In  the  journal  of  Dr.  McMillan's  first  tour  into  the  west  it  is  thus 
written : 

'^Saturday  [Sept.  9,  1775]  preached  at  Josiah  Richards',  on  Robe- 
son's run,  and  rode  about  thirteen  miles  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  lodged  at 
Mr.  Ormsby's. 

**  The  2(i  Sabbath  [io//i]  preached  at  Fort  Pitt,  and  rode  about 
seven  miles  to  Thomas  Ross',  where  I  tarried  till  Tuesday." 


J30  PRESBYTERIAiY  CEXTEXNIAL  COM-EXTION. 

Mr.  Ormsby  was  John  Ormsby,  who  then  resided  on  or  near  the 
southeast  corner  of  Water  and  Ferry  Streets,  and  was  perhaps  keep- 
ing the  "  very  good  house  of  pubHc  entertainment "  which  Samuel 
Sample  had  kept  in  1770;  for,  though  a  sturdy  Pennsylvanian, 
Lord  Dunmore  had  lodged  with  him  about  a  year  before,  and  tried, 
in  vain,  to  seduce  him  into  his  scheme  of  usurpation.  He  also 
owned  the  ferry  opposite.  The  Doctor  notes  no  expense  that  day. 
Thomas  Ross  was  the  Doctor's  brother-in-law,  and  lived  near  where 
Wilkinsburg  now  is.* 

Chronology  often  brings  together  events  which  increase  in  interest 
by  their  coincidence.  Perhaps  at  the  very  hour  Dr.  McMillan  was 
preaching  at  Fort  Pitt,  Connolly  was  in  council  with  General  Gage 
at  Boston  concocting  his  "infernal  scheme"  against  the  western 
frontiers,  for  which  purpose  Dunmore  had  sent  him  to  Gage  in  a 
ship  of  His  Majesty's  navy,  so  as  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  General 
Washington,  who  was  then  fast  closing  in  his  lines  on  his  old  fellow 
officer  in  Braddock's  campaign.  On  the  day  after  Dr.  McMillan 
preached  at  the  fort  it  was  taken  possession  of  by  a  Virginia  com- 
pany commanded  by  Captain  (afterwards  General)  Neville,  which 
had  arrived  a  few  days  before,  so  as  to  hold  it  against  the  machina- 
tions of  Dunmore  and  Connolly.  And  commissioners  sent  out  by 
Congress  were  here  awaiting  the  coming  in  of  the  western  Indians 
to  have  a  peace  conference  with  them.  The  commotion  caused  by 
these  events,  though  he  is  silent  about  them,  doubtless  induced  the 
good  Doctor  to  make  part  of  a  Sabbath  day's  journey  to  his  sister's, 
on  his  way  homeward  that  evening.  Unconsciously  he  was  in  the 
beginnings  of  the  great  future  for  the  West,  for  his  country,  his 
church,  and  himself,  which  he  lived  to  enjoy  and  helped  to  create. 

Although  Dr.  McMillan  was  not  the  first  Presbyterian  minister 
to  preach  at  Fort  Pitt,  it  is  so  highly  probable  as  to  be  almost  cer- 
tain that  he  was  the  first  of  that  faith  to  preach  west  of  the  Monon- 
gahela.  Inconsiderately,  and  without  duly  estimating  the  well 
defined  and  long  enduring  line  of  separation  which  that  river  made 
in  our  early  settlements,  our  standard  church  historiansf  have  giveh 

*  He  was  the  ancestor  of  William  B.  Rosa,  the  present  (1875)  Chief  of 
Police  of  Allegheny  City,  who  seems  to  have  a  good  deal  of  the  old  Doc- 
tor's pluck  iu  him. 

t  "  Old  Redstone,"  228,  329 ;  Life  of  Macurdy,  276. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  32X 

credit  to  the  supposition  that  some  one  or  more  of  the  ministers  who 
were  sent  or  came  out  to  the  frontiers  prior  to  Dr.  McMillan  did 
cross  over  and  preach  there. 

Mr.  Beatty — your  worthy  grandfather,  sir — who  was  chaplain  to 
a  division  of  Forbes'  army,  in  1758,  and  who,  beyond  all  doubt, 
was  the  pioneer  Protestant  preacher  in  the  West,  did  not  then  go 
across  the  Monongahela.  Neither  did  Mr.  Allison,  who  accom- 
panied Col.  Burd  to  Redstone,  in  1759.  Nor  did  Messrs.  Beatty 
and  Duflfield,  when  at  Fort  Pitt  in  1766,  go  over  the  river,  except 
up  the  hill  opposite  the  fort,  to  see  the  place  "  from  which  the  gar- 
rison is  supplied  with  coals." 

Except  in  a  limited  portion,  hereafter  to  be  more  particularly 
noticed,  of  what  is  now  Greene  County,  a  few  Indians  had  almost 
undisturbed  possession  of  all  west  of  the  Monongahela  until  1 771-2. 
It  is  not  likely,  at  that  early  day,  that  any  other  ecclesiastical  body 
than  the  Synod  would  send  out  any  missionary  into  this  region,  or 
that  any  would  come  without  being  sent,  unless  to  obtain  land ;  and 
west  of  what  was  then  considered  the  limits  of  Pennsylvania  was  not 
the  place  to  go  for  such  purpose  by  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  of 
Peace. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  Records  of  the  Synod  from  1770  to 
1775  discloses  no  evidence  from  which  it  can  be  fairly  inferred  that 
any  appointment  of  a  missionary,  or  of  supplies,  was  designed  to 
apply  to  the  westward  of  the  Monongahela,  or,  if  embraced  in  the 
sometimes  general  terms  of  the  appointment,  that  any  went  there. 

It  is  not  worth  while  to  notice  those  missionaries  or  supplies  sent 
out  prior  to  1773,  because  of  lack  of  people  to  go  to.  The  ap- 
pointments of  Mr.  Finley,  in  1771,  and  of  Mr.  Craighead,*  or  Mr. 
King,"!"  in  1772,  may,  therefore,  be  passed  without  further  notice. 
So  may  that  of  Mr.  Power,  in  that  year,  which  was  executed  as  to 
the  "Forks  of  James  River,"  in  Bottetourt  County,  Virginia. | 

*  Rev.  John  Craighead,  pastor  of  Rocky  Spring  Church,  in  Franklin 
County,  1768-99,  and  a  captain  in  the  R«volutionary  War. 

t  Rev.  John  King,  D.D.,  pastor  of  Mercersburg  Church,  17C9— 1811, 
whose  successor  was  the  late  Rev.  David  Elliott,  D.D.  Dr.  King  was  in 
part  the  theological  instructor  of  the  late  President  Matthew  Brown, 
D.D.,  Rev.  Dr.  Herron,  and  of  many  others. 

X  "Old  Redstone,"  227-8. 
V 


SZ2  rRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

At  the  Synod  of  1773  no  appointments  or  supplies  were  ordered 
for  this  region  of  country.  More  crying  demands  came  from  other 
places.     "The  harvest  truly  was  plenteous,  but  the  laborers  few." 

At  the  Synod  of  1774  [Records,  454-5],  application  was  made  by 
Rev.  Messrs.  Robert  Cooper*  and  James  Finley,  "that  some  supplies 
be  sent  to  the  numerous  and  increasing  vacancies  on  the  extensive 
frontiers  of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  form  them  into  congregations  as 
far  as  they  can."  In  pursuance  of  this  three  supplies  were  ordered — 
Rev.  Messrs.  John  Hanna,  William  Foster, f  and  Mr.  Samuel  Smith, 
a  licentiate  of  New  Castle  Presbytery,  the  latter  to  go  four  months 
"  on  the  frontier  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  Virginia,  if  his  state 
of  health  will  admit  of  it."  [Records,  460.]  At  the  Synod  of 
1775,  it  is  noted  that  Mr.  Smith  fulfilled  his  appointment,  and  that 
Messrs.  Hanna  and  Foster  did  not.  [Records,  463.]  Mr.  Smith 
being  in  bad  health,  no  doubt  went  South.  He  must  have  died 
soon  after,  for  we  can  trace  him  no  further. 

At  the  Synod  of  1 775,  the  treasurer  was  ordered  to  pay  Mr.  Irwin| 
^9  9s.  3d.  on  account  of  his  mission  to  the  western  frontiers  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  [Records,  470.]  He  was  probably  ap- 
pointed by  the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  after  the  adjourn- 
ment of  the  Synod.  It  is  presumed  that  Mr.  Irwin  went,  as  Mr. 
Smith  did,  into  the  valley  of  Virginia,  where  there  were  many  im- 
portunate vacancies. 

The  only  thing  that  looks  like  direct  evidence  to  sustain  the  sup- 
position referred  to,  that  I  have  seen,  is  the  statement  made  to  the 
late  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Smith,  by  his  step-father.  Rev.  T.  Hunt,  son- 
in-law  of  Mr.  Power,  that  the  latter  had  "repeatedly  informed  him  " 
that  in  the  summer  of  1774  he  had  spent  three  months  in  missionary 

•  Pastor  of  Middle  Spring  Churcli,  Cumberland  County,  1765-97. 

t  Pastor  of  Upper  Octoiara,  Chester  County,  1768  to  1780  ;  grandfather 
of  Hon.  Henry  D.  Foster,  of  Greensburg,  and  of  A.  W.  F(;8ter  and  the 
late  J.  Heron  Foster,  of  Pittsburgh.  He  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Rev. 
John  Carmichaol,  pastor  of  Brandywine  Manor,  who  married  Dr.  Mc- 
Millan and  Catharine  Brown,  "Tuesday,  August  6th,  1776,  in  troublous 
times."  Both  the  brothers-in-law  were  distinguished  patriots  and 
'« jwlitical  preachers"  in  Revolutionary  times. 

X  Rev.  Nathaniel  Irwin,  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  in 
1773;  ordained  by  the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  in  1774,  of  which 
Le  was  long  a  member. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  3^3 

labors  through  all  the  settlements  of  what  are  now  Washington, 
Allegheny,  Westmoreland,  and  Fayette  Counties."*  Nothing  would 
be  more  natural  to  a  person  speaking  in  general  terms,  or  to  a 
person  taking  note  of  what  he  said,  without  thinking  of  the  distinct 
line  of  separation  between  the  two  sides  of  the  river,  than  to  asso- 
ciate Washington  with  the  other  counties  of  Southwestern  Penn- 
sylvania. 

What  seems  very  conclusive  that  neither  Mr.  Power  nor  any  other 
minister  went  west  of  the  Monongahela  in  the  year  1774,  is  that 
during  all  that  year,  from  April  to  November,  covering  the  probable 
seasons  of  missionary  labor,  that  entire  region,  through  all  its  bor- 
ders and  interior,  was  in  a  state  of  terror  from  the  Indians  in  what 
is  known  as  Dunmore's  War,  as  already  noted.  The  settlers  there 
fled,  or  sent  off  their  families  to  forts  or  other  places  of  security 
east  of  the  Monongahela,  over  which  the  Indians  did  not  go,  because 
it  was  against  Virginians  only  that  they  were  in  pursuit  of  revenge. 
It  is,  therefore,  highly  improbable  that  any  minister  ventured  into 
that  enemy's  country  during  that  year.  During  the  next  year  there 
was  peace,  and  in  August  Dr.  McMillan  was  there.  Neither  he  nor 
any  one  else,  in  a  form  of  evidence  to  be  relied  upon,  has  given  us 
to  know  that  he  had  any  precursor.  Some  John,  a  Baptist,  un- 
doubtedly, preceded  him,  but  he  was  the  John,  the  forerunner  of 
Presbyterian  ministers  west  of  the  Monongahela. 

Nor  ought  we  to  give  implicit  credence  to  the  traditionary  recol- 
lections of  those  who  make  the  Rev.  James  Finley  to  have  come  into 
this  region  in  1765,  and  again  in  i767.f  We  can  refuse  our  belief 
in  this  statement  without  at  all  impeaching  the  perfect  truthfulness 
of  those  from  whom  it  has  been  derived.  Nothing  is  more  common 
than  for  narrators  of  early  events,  after  a  long  lapse  of  years,  and 
without  written  memorials  to  guide  them,  to  put  them  beyond  their 
true  dates.  In  1765  this  entire  region,  beyond  sight  of  the  King's 
forts,  was  an  uninhabited  wilderness,  save  by  a  few  Indians,  and 
more  savage  beasts.  In  1767  it  was  not  much  better.  Mr.  Finley's 
earliest  advent  is  said  to  have  been  to  look  for  ' '  good  land  for  his 
six  promising  boys."     If  so,  the  time  is  fixed  four  or  five  years  too 

*  "Old  Redstone,"  228 ;  Life  of  Macurdy,  276. 
t  76.,  279,  280-284 ;  Life  of  Macurdy,  251,  2. 


j-V  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

soon.  He  could  not  but  know  that  prior  to  1769,  as  already  noted, 
intrusions  into  Southwestern  Pennsylvania  for  any  such  purpose 
would  be  unavailing,  and  subject  him  to  the  pains  and  penalties  of 
the  bloody  law,  "without  benefit  of  clergy."  What  seems  to  set  the 
question  at  rest,  is  a  passage  in  his  circular  letter  on  the  New  State 
project,  which  will  be  noticed  in  another  connection,  dated"  Dunlap's 
Creek,  March  ye  i8th,  1783.*  I  have  been  labouring  for  the  good 
of  this  settlement  these  thirteen  years,  &c.,"  which  puts  his  advent 
to  1770,  when  he  could  very  properly  come,  as  well  to  preach  as  to 
get  land.  He  was  probably  in  the  West  in  that  year,  certainly  in 
1 771,  and  perhaps  in  several  of  the  succeeding  years  up  to  178^, 
when  he  removed  to  Rehoboth. 

While  sitting  for  the  correction  of  errors,  we  may  as  well  dispose 
of  another  which  has  crept  into  nearly  all  our  ecclesiastical  histories ; 
one  of  more  serious  import  than  those  already  noticed,  because 
highly  derogatory  to  the  character  of  the  founders  of  our  early 
churches.  It  is  that  we  had  no  Meeting-houses  tintil  1790,  some 
fifteen  years,  at  least,  after  our  Presbyterian  settlements  had  become 
able  to  erect  them,  and  long  after  many  of  them  had  settled  pastors. 
The  author  of  "  Old  Redstone"  is  not  otherwise  responsible  for  this 
error  than  in  having  copied  into  his  book  a  paper  in  which  it  proba- 
bly originated,  without  correcting  it,"}"  a  duty  which  he  would  have 
discharged  had  he  lived  to  complete  his  projected  new  edition  of 
that  valuable  but  somewhat  disjointed  work. 

The  attentive  reader  of  the  minutes  of  the  Old  Redstone  Presby- 

*This  letter  was  doubtless  written  at  the  house  of  his  son  Ebenezer, 
whom  he  had  seated  on  a  tract  of  land  on  that  creek,  in  Fayette  County, 
which  he  bought  in  1771  or  1772,  on  which  his  descendants  yet  reside. 
In  the  tax-roll  of  Rostravor  Township  for  1773,  in  now  Westmoreland 
County,  he  is  charged  as  the  owner  of  land  there.  So  is  Mr.  Tanner,  his 
elder,  who  accompanied  him.  The  letter,  in  full,  is  found  in  Penn'a 
Archives,  X.  41,  44.  Rehoboth  Meeting-house  was  upon  his  land,  for 
which  he  provided  a  title  by  his  will,  dated  November,  1794. 

1 1  believe  this  error  originated  in  one  of  a  series  of  papers,  entitled 
"  Early  Recollections  of  the  West,"  by  the  late  Judge  Wilkeson,  of  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y..  who  once  lived  on  Chartiers,  first  published  in  the  *'  Ameri- 
can Pioneer,"  Vol.  II.  (page  159),  which  are  copied  into  Dr.  Smith's  "Old 
Redstone  "  (page  44).  From  these  it  has  been  carried  into  Dr.  Gillett's 
revised  edition  of  the  "  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Ac,"  Vol.  I., 
253.  • 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  325 


tery,  from  1781  to  1793,  which  form  the  staple  of  Dr.  Smith's  his- 
tory, will  not  have  failed  to  note  the  implied  correction  which  they 
furnish.  With  a  single  exception  (at  James  McKee's,  Congruity, 
Sept.,  1790),  all  its  meetings  are  at  places  designated  by  the  names 
of  churches,  as  Laurel  Hill,  Chartiers,  Bethel,  &c.,  "some  of  them 
expressly  at  Meeting-houses,  as  at  the  Lower  or  Upper  Meeting- 
house in  the  Forks,  Round  Hill,  and  Rehoboth.  It  cannot  be 
supposed  that  they  met  at  a  tent,  or  in  the  open  air,  especially  in 
January,  nor  would  the  members  know  where  to  assemble,  unless 
at  a  fixed  and  well-known  locality. 

We  have,  however,  conclusive  evidence  that  there  were  several 
meeting-houses — I  prefer  that  name  to  churches — in  Southwestern 
Pennsylvania  many  years  prior  to  the  erection  of  Redstone  Presby- 
tery. I  speak  here  of  Presbyterian  Meeting-houses  only.  Mount 
Moriah,  near  the  southwest  corner  of  Fayette  County,  at  which  Dr. 
McMillan  preached  his  first  sermon  in  the  West,  shows  on  record  a 
deed  dated  July  i,  1773,  for  four  acres,  including  a  spring,  where  a 
"meeting-house  is  now  building,"*  It  is  a  Presbyterian  Meeting- 
house, though,  being  on  the  outer  verge  of  George's  Creek  Congre- 
gation, it  has  been  in  some  measure  superseded.  Dr.  McMillan's 
journal  shows  that  he  preached,  on  the  3d  Sabbath  of  August,  1775, 
at  the  "Forks  Meeting-house, "f  which,  from  the  context,  must  have 
been  Round  Hill;  and  on  September  13th,  of  the  same  year,  he 
preached  at  a  Meeting-house  on  Long  Run,  one  of  the  predeces- 
sors of  the  existing  Meeting-house  of  that  name  in  Westmoreland 
County.  There  were  doubtless  Meeting-houses  at  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Sewickley,  Laurel  Hill,  and  Dunlap's  Creek,  the  scenes  of  Mr. 
Power's  early  labors,  not  later  than  1777. 

We  need  not  wonder  at  the  early  existence  of  meeting-houses  in 
the  wooded  West.     One  could  be*  erected  and  finished  in  two-  or 

•See  Appendix,  No.  2. 

t  The  copj'ist  of  the  extract  from  Dr.  Mc^^.'s  journal,  or  the  printer  of 
"Old  Redstone,"  page  182,  by  omitting  a  line  in  the  MS.,  deprives  the 
reader  of  the  evidence  of  this  meeting-house.  Under  the  head  of  The 
third  Sabbath  of  August,  it  should  read  as  follows  : — "  Preached  at  Mr. 
Pentecost's.  ...         I  tarried  here  until  Wednesday,  when  I 

rode  about  six  miles  [and preached  at  the  Forks  Meeting-house.  In  the 
afternoon  I  traveled  six  miles]  farther,"  <fec.  The  words  in  brackets 
being  omitted  in  the  extract. 


j^6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

three  days,  at  an  expense  only  of  the  time  and  wilHng  hands.  A 
few  sturdy  men  with  axes  and  an  auger,  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  log- 
chain,  a  crosscut  saw  and  frow,  were  all  that  were  needed,  and  by 
the  next  Sabbath  it  was  ready  for  the  minister  and  the  people. 
There  was  no  "  laying  of  corner-stones,"  with  all  the  trumpery  and 
trumpetry  of  modern  times.  Grant  that  they  were  rude,  they  were 
cheery,  in  harmony  with  the  homes  of  their  builders,  rearing  their 
humble  clapboard  roofs  with  weight-poles  to  hold  them  against  the 
wind,  away  in  the  country,  on  some  wooded  slope,  or  in  some  quiet 
vale,  beside  some  noiseless  spring  or  prattling  rill — fit  locations  at 
which  to  drink  of  the  Water  of  Life,  and  hymn  the  Songs  of  Zion 
in  unison  with  the  bird-notes  of  the  bushes  and  the  deep  diapason 
of  the  forest.  Their  places  have  been  supplied  by  edifices  of  more 
costly  structure ;  while  as  to  all  but  a  few,  the  glorious  old  forest 
trees  which  sheltered  and  adorned  them  have  decayed  or  been  cut 
away,  and,  in  too  many  instances,  their  worshippers  have  not  had 
enough  of  the  grace  of  taste  to  plant  and  protect  substitutes.  A 
treeless  country  church  is  worse  than  a  tombless  grave. 

Thus  far,  I  have  endeavored  to  confine  these  ramblings  over  our 
early  annals  to  the  eastern  borders  of  the  Monongahela,  with  only 
occasional  glances  to  the  other  side.  I  have  kept  the  western  side 
of  that  river  for  separate  consideration,  because  as  to  the  colony 
under  which  most  of  its  settlements  began,  their  ages,  and  the  pre- 
dominant character  of  its  early  settlers,  it  was  as  distinct  as  was  Ken- 
tucky from  Ohio,  with  the  "  bloody  river  "  rolling  between  ;  and  in 
some  respects  still  is.  We  are,  however,  now  at  a  stage  from  which 
our  history,  on  both  sides,  begins  to  run  in  parallel  lines,  if  not  to 
blend  ;  and  the  points  of  interest  move,  with  the  "  star  of  empire," 
to  the  westward.  Henceforth  it  is  from  that  quarter  light  will 
come,  under  which  to  read  understandingly  much  of  our  political 
and  religious  history  during  the  closing  years  of  the  last  century. 
We  must,  therefore,  cross  over  into  that  Mesopotamian  region,  and 
look  into  the  beginnings  of  things  there. 

Viewed  as  a  whole — for  as  such  we  must  for  a  while  consider  it — 
north  of  the  latitude  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line,  it  may  not  be 
inaptly  called  a  peninsula.  It  was  certainly  isolated.  For  purposes 
of  access  to  the  Great  West  it  was  intercepted  by  the  Monongahela 
and  Upper  Ohio.     It  had  no  army  roads,  nothing  but  Indian  trails 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  327 

uj)on  the  crests  of  its  hills.  Nor  was  it  penetrated  by  any  con- 
siderable water-courses  upon  which  the  Indian  or  the  trader  could 
piddle  his  light  canoe.  Though  abounding  in  game,  its  forests 
were  not  productive  of  peltry;  and  its  rugged  contour  was  not 
attractive  to  the  hunter  or  the  husbandman.  Except  as  to  a  small 
part,  it  was  not,  even  after  1769,  considered  open  to  settlement 
under  Pennsylvania;  while  as  a  part  of  the  King's  ungranted  Do- 
minion of  Virginia,  he  had  by  proclamation,  soon  after  its  undis- 
puted acquisition  by  the  Treaty  of  Paris  of  1763,  prohibited  its 
settlement — an  interdict  which  had  been  scrupulously  obeyed  by 
his  Governors  up  to  the  accession  of  Dunmore,  though  not  always 
by  his  subjects. 

Viewed  as  to  the  times  of  its  settlement,  it  is  to  be  considered  in 
two  very  distinct  parts — its  river  borders,  and  its  interior. 

Of  its  river  borders,  that  formed  by  the  Monongahela  was  the 
soonest  settled;  and  of  this,  that  portion  which,  after  1767  was 
found  to  be  in  Pennsylvania,  was  the  earliest.  This  was  the  settle- 
ment upon  Muddy  Creek,  in  (now)  Greene  County,  spreading  out 
northwards  towards  Ten  Mile,  and  southwards  towards  Whiteclay 
Creeks.  A  respectable  historian,  who  seems  to  have  drawn  his  data 
from  the  land  office  at  Harrisburg,  makes  its  beginnings  in  1769;* 
which  is  corroborated  by  its  adjacency  to  settlements  about  or  before 
that  time  in  what  is  now  Fayette  County,  and  by  the  further  fact 
that  some  of  the  very  earliest  official  surveys  in  the  West,  under 
Pennsylvania,  were  in  that  region.  Nowhere  in  all  Western  Penn- 
sylvania is  the  lay  of  the  land  more  inviting.  Most  of  the  hills  of 
Greene  County  have  been  pushed  back  upon  its  southern  and 
western  borders.  The  roll  of  taxables  for  Springhill  Township, 
Bedford  County,  for  1773,  hereinbefore  referred  to,  testifies  to  a 
probable  population  then  in  that  settlement  of  not  less  than  five 
hundred,  and  the  aggregate  of  taxes  for  the  preceding  year  indicates 
a  not  rapid  increase.     Like  the  early  settlers  in  corresponding  parts 

*  The  reference- here  is  to  "  Early  History  of  Western  Pennsylvania, 
etc.,  by  a  Gentleman  of  the  Bar.  Pittsburg,  D-iniel  W.  KaafiTinaii ;  Har- 
risburg, William  O.  Hickok,  184(5."  At  page  48  he  says  Greene  County 
was  settled  iu  1796,  evidently  intended  for  1769— the  two  last  figures 
having  been  transposed.  It  was  in  1796  that  the  county  was  erected  out 
of  that  part  of  Washington.    See  further  as  to  this,  Appendix,  No.  3. 


S38  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

of  Fayette,  they  had  come  mostly  from  the  Potomac  borders  of 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  the  Kittatinny  Valley,  a  few,  perhaps,  from 
the  Nursery,  and  some  from  Ireland.  John  Armstrong's,  wliere 
Dr.  McMillan  preached  his  second  sermon  in  the  West,  was  on 
Muddy  Creek ;  and  in  that  vicinity  is  the  oldest  Presbyterian 
church  in  Greene  County — for  a  while  the  only  one.  Mr.  Arm- 
strong was  doubtless  an  acquaintance  of  the  Doctor.  The  first 
call  for  supplies  to  the  old  Presbytery  of  Redstone  was  from  Muddy 
Creek  and  the  South  Fork  of  Ten  Mile  (Jefferson). 

Lower  down  the  river,  in  choice  locations,  and  up  its  largest 
affluents,  settlements  were  early  formed.  Old  Virginia  had  for  a 
long  time  made  a  special  business  of  persecuting  Baptists.  Hence 
they  took  refuge  on  Muddy  Creek,  Whiteclay,  and  Ten  Mile,  and 
lower  down  upon  Pike  Run  and  Peters  Creek,  at  an  early  day, 
where  they  were  ministered  to  by  Elders  Corbly  and  the  Sutton 
brothers.  A  Baptist  church  in  the  last-named  locality  celebrated  its 
centennial  in  November,  1873.  Dr.  McMillan  preached  twice  in 
its  Meeting  house  in  1775,  and  in  one  on  Pike  Run  in  1776. 

The  Ohio  river  border  came  to  be  the  abode  of  white  men  at  a 
somewhat  later  date.  When  Washington  made  his  canoe  tour  down 
the  Ohio  to  Kenhawa,  in  October,  1770,  and  returned  on  horseback 
from  the  Mingo  Bottom  across  to  Pittsburgh,  by  way,  it  is  presumed, 
of  Robeson's  Run  and  Chartiers,  in  November,  he  does  not  note  a 
single  settler  except  Alexander  McKee,  at  the  mouth  of  that  creek. 
Settlers  would  not  have  escaped  his  observing  eye,  nor  would  he 
have  failed  to  note  them;  for  he  says  in  his  journal  that  people 
from  Virginia  and  elsewhere  were  then  exploring  and  marking  all  the 
valuable  lands  along  the  Ohio  as  far  as  he  went,  and  would  probably 
come  to  settle  the  next  year.  They  undoubtedly  came  within  the 
next  two  or  three  years.  They  were  on  the  very  outskirts  of  civili- 
zation, in  close  contact  with  the  Indians  across  the  river,  eking  out 
a  rude  subsistence  from  game,  fish,  and  by  a  paltry  trade  in  rum 
and  peltry.  It  was  their  destiny  a  few  years  hence  to  become  a 
coast-guard  to  the  better  classes  of  men  who  ere  long  peopled  the 
interior. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Doddridge,  M.D.,  who  spent  all  his  life  after 
1773  on  the  Ohio  river  border,  at  and  near  Wellsburgh,  whose 
valuable  notes  on  the  early  settlements,  &c.,  of  this  region,  so  often 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  jsg 


quoted,  are  of  the  highest  authority,  viewing  things  from  his  stand- 
point, says  that  settlements  began  in  the  peninsula,  in  1772,  and 
rapidly  pushed  on  to  the  Ohio  in  the  next  year  and  afterwards.* 
Though  too  late  in  the  beginning,  he  is  no  doubt  right  as  to  the 
progress.  He  (as  were  also  his  distinguished  brother  Philip, 
Robert  Patterson,  James  Allison,  William  Wylie,  Alexander  Camp- 
bell, the  founder  of-the  sect  of  "  Disciples,"  and  others),  was  of  the 
first  class  in  the  Canonsburg  Academy,  in*  1791,  and  doubtless  all 
his  life  kept  an  eye  towards  the  interior,  but  does  not  state  the  era  or 
period  of  its  settlement.  It  was  probably  in  such  numbers  as  to  at- 
tract notice  in  1772  and  1773,  the  last  years  of  the  second  great 
Scotch-Irish  emigration  from  Ulster  to  Pennsylvania,  already  re- 
lated. Unlike  the  river  border  settlements,  it  seems  to  have  had  a 
centre,  and  then  spread  outwardly ;  and  that  centre  was  the  Char- 
tiers  congregations  of  Dr.  McMillan  and  Mr.  Henderson. f  *  Dr. 
Doddridge,  referring  of  course  to  the  border  settlers,  says  they  came 
chiefly  from  Maryland  and  Virginia  ;  and  being  himself  an  Episco- 
palian minister,  laments  that  although  many  of  them  were  of  Episco- 
pal parentage  and  training,  they  did  not  bring  much  of  their  re- 
ligion with  them.  He  further  says,  that  the  Scotch-Irish  generally 
took  to  the  interior,  and  leaves  it  to  be  inferred  that  they  did  bring 

*  There  are  historians  who  locate  settlers — the  Zanes  at  Wheeling, 
Isaac  Williams  near  the  mouth  of  Buffalo,  the  Tomlinsonsa  nd  others  at 
Grave  Creek,  <fec.,  at  as  early  a  date  as  1769  and  1770.  They  were  doubt- 
less like  the  McAfees  and  Boonftin  Kentucky,  roving  pioneers  and  hun- 
ters, or  looking  out  for  good  locations  in  the  future.  There  were  perhaps 
others  of  the  same  kind  in  the  peninsula  and  on  its  borders,  but  they  do 
not  entitle  their  abodes  to  the  dignity  of  settlements,  and  I  prefer  to 
follow  Doddridge. 

t  There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  Pigeon  Creek  and  Chartiers  being  the 
first  Presbyterian  congregations  organized  west  of  the  Monongahela. 
But  which  of  the  two  outranks  the  other  can  perhaps  never  be  de- 
termined. Dr.  McMillan's  testimony  leaves-it  in  doubt.  All  we  have 
from  him  to  the  point  is  his  journal,  which  reads  thus:  "The  first 
Sabbath  of  February  (1776),  preached  at  Mr.  McDowell's  (on  Chartiers). 
Monday,  set  out  to  see  my  sister  (Mrs.  Ferguson,  near  the  Mononga- 
hela), stayed  with  them  till  Friday.  Friday,  returned  again  to  my  con- 
gregation. Stopt  at  Thomas  Cook's,  on  Mingo  Creek,  where  I  continued 
till  Sabbath.  The  second  Sabbath  of  February,  preached  at  Arthur 
Forbes"  (which  was  in  the  Pigeon  Creek  neighborhood).  This  looks 
as  if  he,  at  that  time,  considered  both  as  one  congregation. 


330  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

their  religion  with  them.  Thisall  the  world  knows.  Moreover, 
they  did  not  seclude  themselves  far  away  among  people  of  no  re- 
ligion. They  were  like  the  sheep  upon  the  thousand  hills  of  the  penin- 
sula, somewhat  gregarious  in  their  habits,  and  not  averse  to  high 
lands.  With  them  it  was — first,  good  farms  at  cheap  rates  and  good 
neighbors ;  then  the  cabin,  the  clearing,  the  minister,  the  meeting- 
house, and  the  school.  And  the  fact  that  they  had  no  minister  of 
their  faith  among  them\intil  1775,  is  presumptive  proof  that  they 
had  not  been  long  there.  That  a  very  large  proportion — by  some 
estimated  as  high  as  seven-eighths — of  these  interior  settlers  were  of 
Scotch-Irish  lineage,  and  Presbyterians  of  the  various  branches  of 
that  faith,  is  a  well  accredited  fact.  And  there  they  established,  and 
have  ever  since  maintained,  a  new  nursery,  from  which  have  been 
disseminated  the  benefits  and  blessings  of  religion  and  education  all 
over  the  West  and  Northwest.  Although  many  of  them  who  had 
come  from  the  ''  Old  Country,"  had  been  residents  of  Pennsylvania 
long  enough  to  have  formed  some  attachment  to  its  laws  and  gov- 
ernment, and  others  were  "  to  the  manner  born,"  they  came,  noth- 
ing loth,  into  what  they  supposed  was  Virginia,  under  assurance 
confirmed  by  the  immunity  long  enjoyed  by  their  brethren  and 
kindred  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  that  tithes  and  intolerance 
would  never  reach  them  there.* 

Up  to  1 776  it  does  not  appear  that  the  improvised  district  of  West 
Augusta  took  much  care  of  His  Majesty's  subjects  west  of  the 
Monongahela,  except  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Pittsburgh.  The 
most  that  it  did  was  to  authorize  some  roads  from  places  in  the 
Youghiogheny  settlements  and  Fort  Dunmore,  into  the  interior,  to 
Paul  Froman's  Mill,  on  Chartiers,  to  Dunfields  [where?],  to  Pente- 
cost's Mill,  on  the  east  branch  of  Chartiers,  and  one  as  far  as  Cat- 
fish's Camp.  Says  the  same  high  authority  already  cited  (Dr. 
Doddridge):  "In  the  section  of  country  where  my  father  lived 
there  was,  for  many  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  country, 
'  neither  law  nor  gospel.'  .  .  .  During  a  long  period  we  knew 
nothing  of  courts,  lawyers,  magistrates,  sheriffs,  or  constables. 
Every  one,  therefore,  was  at  liberty  to  do  whatever  was  right  in  his 
own  eyes."  Game  and  lands  were  free,  and  plenty  for  all.  Slan- 
ders and  insults  were  settled  by  single  combat.     For  other  offences 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  4. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  331 

there  was  a  code  more  imperative  in  its  requirements  than  printed 
statutes — the  unerring  little  finger  of  public  scorn,  thicker  than  all 
the  loins  of  the  law  books.  "  Hating  out"  was  a  more  effective 
punishment  than  fines  and  imprisonment.  Being,  for  a  while,  at 
peace  among  themselves  a;#l  with  the  Indians,  the  settlers  were  con- 
tent to  be  let  alone.  And  had  it  not  been  for  the  growing  troubles 
east  of  the  Monongahela,  and  apprehensions  of  "  fightings  from 
without,"  they  might  have  safely  remained  so  for  a  much  longer  pe- 
riod. These,  however,  and  a  rapidly  augmenting  population  in  the 
peninsula  west  of  the  Monongahela,  gave  to  Virginia  an  opportune 
pretext  for  annexing  to  it  the  disputed  territory,  and  by  sub-division 
to  strengthen  her  sway  over  the  whole.  To  accomplish  this  She, 
in  October,  1776,  erected  the  united  territory,  and  much  more  of 
what  is  now  West  Virginia,  into  three  counties,  Monongalia,  Ohio, 
and  Yohogania.  The  new  arrangement  went  into  effect  in  Decem- 
ber of  that  year ;  but  it  never  worked  well,  especially  in  the  disputed 
districts,  where  duality  of  dominion  led  to  increasing  evasions  of 
both  civil  and  military  duty.  Men  vibrated  in  their  allegiance  as 
caprice  or  interest  prompted,  f^and  titles  became  uncertain,  ani- 
mosities festered,  and  enmities  became  indurated.  Throughout  the 
whole  territory  immigration  slackened  and  progress  halted.  And 
yet  for  some  purposes  it  was  well  that  jurisdiction  was  divided. 
What  was  left  of  Westmoreland  was  an  exposed  frontier  under  con- 
stant alarms  from  Canadian  British,  Tories,  and  Indians.  So  was  the 
peninsula,  but  in  greater  degree,  because  of  its  longer  border.  .The 
National  Government  was  almost  powerless  for  protection.  Neither 
of  the  two  States  could  afford  much  aid.  The  enemy  was  upon  them 
in  the  east,  and  their  resources  were  exhausted.  E^ch  had  to  leave 
its  ultramontane  people  to  defend  themselves.  This  was  more  easily 
effected  by  severed  allegiance  and  ready  concentration  of  home 
effort  than  it  could  have  been  by  relying  upon  a  united  but  discord- 
ant and  scattered  action.  Each  had  an  important  interior  to  protect 
for  supplies,  the  safety  of  which  depended  upon  the  vigilance  and 
strength  of  the  border  lines.  Happily  these  were  maintained  under 
the  guidance  and  co-operation  of  common  commanders  at  Fort 
Pitt,  through  whom  intestine  conflict  was  warded  off.  By  this 
process  the  fathers  of  Western  Pennsylvania  and  contiguous  Virginia 
were  disciplined  to  self-reliance,  the  broadest  and  strongest- basis 


3SS 


PRESBYTERIAN  CEXTEXNIAL  CONVENTION. 


upon  which  to  rear  elevated  and  enduring  character.  In  this,  if  I 
mistake  not,  lies  the  secret  of  that  back-bone-ism  in  church  and 
state,  which  the  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  of  this  region  early  appro- 
priated, and  have  never  surrendered,  and  which,  we  trust,  their 
descendants  never  will  surrender  or  lose. 

This  digression  into  a  side  path  enables  me  to  escape  any  fur- 
ther notice  of  the  workings  upon  our  territory,  of  these  Old  Vir- 
ginia counties,  than  to  say,  that  Monongalia  included  a  small  part 
of  Washington,  upon  the  Ten  Mile ;  about  one-third,  the  south- 
western part,  of  Fayette,  and  all  of  Greene.  Ohio  county  embraced 
about  one-third  of  Washington  on  the  west,  below  Cross  Creek;  and 
Yofiogania,  the  "lost  pleiad,"  covered  all  the  other  parts  of  the 
undisputed,  as  well  as  of  the  disputed  territory,  north  and  east  of  the 
other  two,  in  Washington,  Beaver,  Allegheny,  Westmoreland,  and 
Fayette,  losing  itself  amid  the  perplexities  of  an  undefined  boundary. 
The  court-house  of  Monongalia  was  on  the  land  of  Theophilus 
Phillips,  near  New  Geneva;  that  of  Ohio,  at  "Black's  Cabin,"  near 
West  Liberty;  and  that  of  Yohogania,  on  the  "plantation  of  An- 
drew Heath,"  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Monongahela,  about 
where  the  line  of  Washington  and  Allegheny  counties  strikes  that 
river.  Almost  all  our  old  original  meeting-houses  were  in  Yoho- 
gania; Buffalo,  and  perhaps  Cross  Creek,  were  in  Ohio;  Mr.  Dodd's, 
Dunlap's  Creek,  and  Mount  Moriah,  in  Monongalia.  The  early 
records  of  Ohio  and  Monongalia  are  lost ;  those  of  Yohogania  sur- 
vivej  almost  the  only  monument  of  its  existence.  Its  courts  did  a 
large  and  varied  business,  civil,  criminal,  military,  and  mixed. 
Dorsey  Pentecost  was  its  clerk,  and  it  even  had  some  lawyers.  Of 
its  sheriffs,  legislative  representatives,  and  "  gentlemen  justices," 
were  some  of  the  most  distinguished  and  useful  men  in  our  early 
annals,  in  church  and  state,  in  war  and  in  peace.* 

We  cannot  afford  here  to  follow  this  boundary  controversy 
through  all  its  mazes  and  doublings.  All  that  concerns  us  now  is 
to  know  how  it  terminated. 

Virginia  gave  but  little  heed  to  the  cession  to  Pennsylvania  which 

she  had  embodied  in  her  Constitution.      Nor   did   anybody  else. 

It  meant  nothing  but  a  haughty  condescension  to  let  us  keep  what 

she  had  no  rightful  power  to  take  away.     Practically  it  left  the  ques- 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  5. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  333 

tion  just  where  it  found  it — what  were  the  true  limits  and  extent  of 
the  grant  to  WiUiam  Penn  ?  There  being  no  tribunal  competent  to 
decide  it,  the  parties  were  left  to  work  out  its  solution  as  best  they 
could. 

During  the  years  1777  and  1778,  various  propositions  for  a  final 
adjustment  of  boundaries  were  submitted  between  the  parties,  but 
all  rejected.  At  last,  in  December,  1778,  Virginia  proposed  a  joint 
commission  to  agree  upon  them.  To  this  Pennsylvania  acceded  in 
March,  1779.  Commissioners  from  each  State  met  in  Baltimore, 
in  August  of  that  year  ;  and,  after  a  series  of  lengthy  and  able  ex- 
postions  in  writing  of  their  respective  pretensions,  came  to  the  fol- 
lowing agreement : 

"Baltimore,  August  2,'ist,  1779. 

"  We,  George  Bryan,  John  Ewing,  and  David  Rittenhouse,  com- 
missioners for  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  we,  James  Madison, 
and  Robert  Andrews,  commissioners  for  the  State  of  Virginia,  do 
hereby,  mutually,  on  behalf  of  our  respective  States,  ratify  and  con- 
firm the  following  agreement,  viz.:  To  extend  Mason  and  Dixon's 
line  due  west  five  degrees  of  longitude,  to  be  computed  from  the 
river  Delaware,  for  the  southern  boundary  of  Pennsylvania;  and 
that  a  meridian  drawn  from  the  western  extremity  thereof  to  the 
northern  limits  of  said  State,  be  the  western  boundary  of  Pennsyl- 
vania for  ever.  (Signed.) 

George  Bryan.*         James  Madison.§ 
*  John  EwiNG.f  Robert  Andrews."|| 

David  Rittenhouse.  J 

*  An  eminent  Philadelphia  lawyer,  appointed  a  Judge  of  our  Su- 
preme Court,  in  1780,  and  re-appointed  in  1787.  Author  of  tlie  Constitu- 
tion of  1776,  and  of  the  eloquent  preamble  to  the  Act  of  1780,  *'  for  the 
gradual  abolition  of  slavery."  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

t  Pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Philadelphia,  Provost 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  author  of  an  old  college  text 
boolc  on  Natural  Philosophy.  He  was  a  commissioner  on  the  Eastern 
end  of  our  boundary  with  Maryland,  in  1760,  and  for  our  southern 
boundary  with  Virginia,  in  1784,  and  was  appointed  for  the  western, 
but  declined. 

J.  The  eminent  Astronomer  and  Mathematician,  State  Treasurer  from 
1776  to  1789,  first  director  of  the  U.  S.  Mint,  and  engaged  in  determining 


334  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

We  may  well  pause  here  to  inquire  how  it  came  to  pass  that  parts 
of  Western  Pennsylvania,  so  important  as  those  between  the  meri- 
dian line  agreed  upon,  and  the  crooked  curvilinear  line  parallel 
with  the  Delaware,  clear  through  to  the  Lake,  so  long  insisted  upon 
by  the  Penns,  and  after  them  by  the  Commonwealth,  are  not 
now  parts  of  the  States  of  West  Virginia  and  Ohio,  which  they 
would  have  been  had  the  repeated  offers  of  Pennsylvania  been 
acceded  to. 

The  correspondence  of  the  commissioners  at  Baltimore  is  a  model 
of  diplomacy,  calm,  dignified,  but  exhibiting  the  highest  order  of 
tact  in  thrust  and  parry.  I  will  not  undertake  to  summarize  the 
arguments  employed.*  The  parties  set  out  widely  apart,  coming 
together  by  gradual  approaches.  The  Pennsylvania  Commissioners 
began  the  negotiations  by  claiming  three  degrees  of  latitude,  from 
42°  to  39°,  but  because  that  claim,  if  recognized  in  its  whole  extent, 
"  might  disturb  the  settlers  on  the  south  side  of  the  Potomac,"  they 
proposed  to  adopt  the  west  boundary  of  Maryland,  with  an  extension 
of  it  down  to  39°,  and  make  that  parallel  of  latitude  our  southern 
boundary  to  the  western  limit  of  the  State.  The  Virginians  met  this 
by  saying  that  the  parts  south  of  Maryland  and  the  Potomac  which 
it  was  offered  not  to  "  disturb,"  belonged  to  the  grant  to  Lord  Fair- 
fax, and  were  as  much  beyond  our  reach  as  any  part  of  Maryland. 
They  therefore  proposed  to  Pennsylvania  to  make  a  prolongation  of 
Mason  and  Dixon's  line  her  southern  boundary  to  the  full  extent 
of  her  five  degrees  of  longitude,  saying  nothing  about  a  western 
boundary.  The  Pennsylvanians  acceded  to  this  offer,  provided, 
however,  that  Virginia  would  give  to  them  for  a  western  boundary 

and  running  our  Southern  and  Western  boundaries  with  Virginia,  in 
1784-85,  and  our  Northern  with  Now  York,  in  1795.    He  died  in  1796. 

§  Not  the  afterwards  President  of  the  U.  S.,  but  a  relative.  At  this 
time  he  was  President  of  William  and  Mary  College,  and  was  after- 
wards Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  Virginia.  His 
father,  Gabriel  Madison,  was  clerk  of  Augusta  Courts,  in  the  years  of  our 
boundary  troubles. 

II  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  William  and  Mary  College.  A  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  preacher.  He  and  Rev.  Mr.  Madison  served  Virginia 
in  determining  our  boundaries  with  that  State,  in  1784-85. 

*  The  correspondence  in  full  is  in  Hening's  (Va.)  Statutes  at  large. 
Vol.  X.,  621. 


THE  SECULAR  II/STCRY.  jjj 

a  meridian  line  clear  through  to  42°,  "  which  shall  include  as  much 
land  as  will  make  Pennsylvania  what  it  was  originally  intended  to  be, 
viz. :  three  degress  in  breadth  by  five  in  length,  except  so  much  as 
has  been  heretofore  relinquished  to  Maryland."  The  Virginia  Com- 
missioners met  this  by  a  flat  denial  of  any  right  of  Pennsylvania  to 
compensation,  but  "that  all  cause  of  discord  might  be  removed," 
offered  to  relinquish  to  her  all  territory  west  of  Maryland  down  to 
39°  30',  to  tlie  extent  of  five  degrees  of  longitude  from  the  Dela- 
ware on  that  half  way  parallel.  The  Pennsylvania  Commissioners 
accepted  this  offer,  upon  condition  that  Virginia  would  allow  our 
western  boundary  to  be  a  meridian  from  the  end  of  that  parallel, 
"as  far  as  Virginia  extends"  northward,  that  is,  clear  through  to 
42".  The  Virginia  Commissioners  could  not  grant  this  addition  to 
their  half-and-half  offer,  but  proposed  the  meridian  for  our  western 
boundary,  based  upon  an  extension  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  To 
this  the  Pennsylvania  Commissioners  at  once  acceeded,  and  on  the 
self  same  day  the  agreement  was  signed.  We  may  regret  that  they 
did  not  hold  on  a  little  longer  to  39°,  so  as  to  have  given  us  at  least 
the  Pan-handle.  We,  however,  have  no  right  to  complain.  They 
did  exceedingly  well.  It  is  presumed  that  the  Commissioners  of 
neither  State  supposed  that  our  western  limit  would  come  so  little 
short  of  the  Ohio,  that  great  natural  boundary  recognized  by  every 
other  State  than  Pennsylvania  which  its  current  laves. 

It  very  soon  became  a  question  whether  this  "compromise"  did 
not  conduce  to  more  troubles  than  it  cured.  The  agreement  was 
subject  to  ratification  by  the  Legislatures  of  the  contracting  parties. 
Pennsylvania,  within  thirty  days  after  the  meeting  of  her  Assembly 
in  October,  1779,  gave  it  her  unqualified  approval,  as  well  she  might 
do,  seeing  that  it  expanded  her  western  limits  full  half  a  degree, 
without  any  equivalent  loss  on  the  south.  Virginia  saw  this,  but  too 
late  to  recede  with  honor,  and  being  thereunto  incited  by  some  of 
her  ceded  citizens,  held  back  a  while  to  devise  some  scheme  by  which 
settlers  and  speculators  claiming  under  her  could  hold  their  lands  at 
Virginia  prices.  To  subserve  this  purpose  she,  in  December,  1779, 
sent  out  into  the  lately  disputed  and  ceded  territory  three  commis- 
sioners, "to  adjust  land  titles"  therein,  under  one  of  her  recently 
enacted  statutes,  upon  ex  parte  hearings.  Their  sittings  were  at 
Coxa's  Fort,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Monongahela,  and  at  Fort 


jj6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

Burd*  (Brownsville),  on  the  east  side.  No  event  in  the  whole  con- 
troversy so  roused  the  ire  of  Pennsylvania.  Her  Executive  sent  a 
courteous  but  decided  remonstrance  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia. 
It  was  unheeded.  President  Reed  threatened  armed  resistance  to  the 
intrusion,  if  not  withdrawn.  There  was  imminent  danger  of  a 
renewal  of  the  strife.  Thereupon  Congress  interposed,  with  a  per- 
suasive resolution  for  peace,  which  had  a  healing  effect.  But  it  was 
not  until  June,  1780,  that  Virginia  could  bring  herself  to  a  confirma- 
tion of  the  agreement,  and  then  only  by  clogging  it  with  a  condition 
as  above  indicated,  so  modified,  however,  as  to  be  effective  only  in 
favor  of  priority  of  grant  or  settlement.  This  was  in  effect  asking 
Pennsylvania  to  sanction  the  usurpations  upon  her  undoubted  terri- 
tory east  of  the  Monongahela,  and  the  grants  of  her  lands  therein  by 
the  usurper,"  thereby  enabling  men  who  had  defied  or  disowned  her 
rightful  jurisdiction  to  get  their  lands  at  ten  shillings  per  hundred 
acres,  while  her  own  grantees  would  have  to  pay  at  the  rate  of  five 
pounds.  She  therefore  for  a  while  withheld  her  assent  to  this  appen- 
dage to  the  Baltimore  agreement.  It  had  in  it  some  provisions 
which  redeemed  it  from  indiscriminate  disapproval.  West  of  the 
curvilinear  line,  beyond  which  Pennsylvania  had  not  claimed,  its 
justice  could  not  be  gainsayed,  while  in  its  operations  east  of  that 
line  it  could  be  so  construed  as  to  protect  her  own  grantees,  whose 
rights  had  first  attached.  If  not  acceded  to,  Virginia  would  proba- 
bly make  its  rejection  a  pretext  for  re-opening  the  controversy,  in 
the  hope  of  thereby  regaining  some  of  the  territory  she  had  lost. 
These  views  of  the  situation,  and  an  "earnest  desire  to  promote 
peace  with  a  sister  State,"  induced  Pennsylvania,  in  September,  1 780, 
to  confirm  the  agreement  upon  the  conditions  which  Virginia  had 
imposed.  And  here,  so  far  as  the  States  were  concerned,  the  con- 
troversy closed,  the  last  of  a  series — with  Maryland,  Connecticut, 
and  Virginia — which  Pennsylvania  had  to  encounter  to  maintain  the 
integrity  of  her  territory.     Never  encroaching  upon  her  neighbors' 

*The  sittings  of  this  land  commission  at  Fort  Burd  has  given  rise  to 
tiie  statement  in  many  of  our  histories,  beginning,  I  believe,  with  Find- 
ley's  History  of  the  Whisky  Insurrection,  page  19,  that  Virginia  courts, 
meaning  ordinary  county  or  district  courts,  sat  there,  which  is  an  error. 
No  Augusta  or  West  Augusta  courts  ever  sat  elsewhere  than  at  Staunton 
or  Pittsburgh,  and  Fort  Burd  was  on  the  line  between  Monongalia  and 
Yohogania. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  337 

borders,  she  has  always  gained  by  their  intrusions  upon  hers.  The 
results  have  added  to  the  many  proofs  that,  in  the  moral  government 
of  the  world,  the  wrongs  which  communities  inflict  will  be 

"  Bloody  instructions,  which  being  taught,  return 
To  plague  the  inventor ." 

It  remained  yet  to  run  and  mark  the  lines.  This  it  was  intended 
to  do  early  in  1781,  but  Virginia  being  then  the  seat  of  war,  it  had 
to  be  postponed.  In  view  of  its  speedy  accomplishment,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  the  28th  of  March,  1781,  a  few  days  after  the  first  centen- 
nial of  her  own  existence,  erected  all  her  territory  west  and  south  of 
the  Monongahela  and  Ohio,  into  the  county  of  Washington — the 
"first"  of  names,  and  the  first  of  counties  after  the  province 
became  a  Commonwealth.  Until  then  it  belonged  to*  Westmore- 
land ;  but  its  seat  of  justice  was  too  far  off,  the  antagonisms  of  its 
officers  and  people  too  inveterate  to  expect  efficient  or  harmonious 
action.  Virginia  began  to  withdraw  her  jurisdiction  from  the  dis- 
puted and  ceded  territory,  but,  like  a  discomfited  army,  kept  up  for  a 
while  longer  a  rear  guard  to  cover  her  retreat.  Pennsylvania  had 
to  advance  with  cautious  steps.  The  want  of  defined  lines  of 
dominion  on  the  two  Virginia  sides  of  the  new  county  was  made  the 
pretext,  not  only  for  disaffection,  but  for  absolute  denial  of  duty, 
civil  and  military,  and  for  actual  violence  within  many  miles  of 
where  they  would  certainly  be  established.  The  Executive  Council 
of  Pennsylvania  did  all  they  could  to  have  them  run,  beginning 
their  efforts  in  1780.  The  Virginia  Executives  seemed  to  co-ope- 
rate ;  but  multiform  excuses  and  the  intrigues  and  open  resistance 
by  the  Virginia  partizans  produced  vexatious  and  disheartening 
delays.  Wrote  Thomas  Scott,  the  newly  appointed  prothonotary, 
etc.,  of  Washington,  October  19th,  1781:  "We  groan  under  the 
difficulty  of  an  unrun  boundary."  From  the  first  it  was  intended 
that  the  lines,  when  run,  should  be  permanent ;  but  repeated  fail- 
ures to  do  so  and  incessant  groanings  constrained  a  resort  for  a 
while  to  temporary  lines.  The  new  State  project,  presently  to  be 
noticed,  and  the  non-attendance  by  the  Virginia  Surveyor,  caused 
still  further  delays.  At  length,  in  November,  1782,  when  "surly 
winds  made  forests  bare,"  they  were  run  and  marked,  from  where 

Mason  and  Dixon  left;  off,  to  the  supposed  corner,  and  thence  to  the 
W 


SjS  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

Ohio,  by  Col.  Alexander  McClean,  the  long-time  Register,  Recorder, 
and  Surveyor  of  Fayette  (then  of  Westmoreland),  and  Col.  Joseph 
Neville,  of  Virginia.  Under  instructions,  based  upon  Mason  and 
Dixon's  computations,  they  extended  the  due  west  line  twenty-three 
miles.  ,  It  was  afterwards  found  that  less  than  twenty-two  miles  were 
wanting  to  complete  the  distance  of  the  charter — an  error  which,  as 
well  as  perhaps  another,  in  after  years  caused  some  losses  and 
litigation.* 

It  was  not  until  the  fall  of  1784  that  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  was 
permanently  completed  and  marked.  The  nice  point  was  to  fix  its 
western  terminus.  To  do  all  this  some  of  the  most  eminently  scien- 
tific men  of  the  age  were  employed.  On  the  part  of  Virginia  they 
were  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Madison  and  Andrews,  her  negotiators  of 
the  Baltimo«e  agreement,  united  with  John  Page,  afterwards  Gover- 
nor of  that  State,  and  with  Andrew  Ellicott,  then  of  Maryland,  who 
run  more  boundary  lines  for  States  and  the  Nation  than  any  other 
man.  Pennsylvania  appointed  her  old  favorites,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John 
Ewing  and  Mr.  Rittenhouse,  joining  with  them  John  Lukens,  her 
Surveyor-General,  and  Thomas  Hutchins,  afterwards  the  Geographer 
General  of  the  United  States.  They  undertook  the  task,  they  said, 
"from  an  anxious  desire  to  gratify  the  astronomical  world  in  the 
performance  of  a  problem  which  has  never  yet  been  attempted  in 
any  country,  and  to  prevent  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  from  the 
chance  of  losing  many  hundred  thousands  of  acres  secured  to  it  by 
the  agreement  at  Baltimore." 

Mason  and  Dixon  had  made  their  markings  from  actual  measure- 
ments upon  the  ground.  It  was  upon  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, when  Governor  of  Virginia,  that  the  new  "problem"  was 
adopted  for  determining  the  distance  by  astronomical  observations. 
To  solve  it,  two  of  the  artists  of  each  State,  provided  with  the  proper 
astronomical  instruments  and  a  good  time-piece,  repaired  to  Wil- 
mington, Delaware,  near  to  which,  on  the  line,  they  erected  an 
observatory.  The  other  four,  in  like  manner  furnished,  and  with 
commissary,  soldiers,  and  servants,  proceeded  to  the  west  end  of  the 
temporary  line,  where,  on  one  of  the  highest  Fish  Creek  hills,  they 
also  erected  a  rude  observatory.     At  these  stations  each  party,  during 

*Soe  Appendix,  No.  6. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  33q 


six  long  weeks  of  days  and  nights  preceding  the  autumnal  equinox 
of  1784,  took  a  series  of  observations  of  the  immersions  of  Jupiter's 
moons  and  of  other  celestial  phenomena,  for  the  purpose  of  deter- 
mining their  respective  meridians  and  latitude,  and  adjusting  their 
time-pieces.  This  done,  one  of  each  party  from  the  eastern  station 
come  to  the  others  at  the  western,  and  find  that  their  stations  are 
twenty  minutes  and  one  and  an  eighth  seconds  apart.  The  Wilming- 
ton station  was  114  (four  pole)  chains  and  13  links  west  of  the 
Delaware.  Knowing  that  twenty  minutes  of  time  were  equal  \.o  five 
degrees  of  longitude,  they  make  allowance  for  said  114  chains  and  13 
links,  and  for  the  one  and  an  eighth  seconds  (equal,  they  say,  to  14 
chains  and  96  links),  and  upon  these  data  they  shorten  back  on  the 
line  to  the  exact  point,  and  fix  the  south-west  corner  of  the  State  by 
setting  up  a  square  unlettered  white  oak  post,  around- which  they 
rear  a  conical  pyramid  of  stones,  "and  they  are  there  unto  this 
day/'  on  the  slope  of  a  deep  narrow  valley  near  the  Board-tree 
tunnel  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  southern  line,  it  became  too  late  in 
the  year  to  run  any  part  of  the  western.  In  the  summer  of  1785, 
it  was  carefully  run  and  marked,  to  the  Ohio  River,  and  some  forty 
or  fifty  miles  beyond  it.  The  Pennsylvania  artists  were  Mr.  Rit- 
tenhouse  and  Col.  Andrew  Porter,  who  had  been  commissary  to  the 
Western  party  in  1784 — the  father  of  our  late  ex-Governor,  David 
R.  Pofter.  The  Virginia  commissioners  were  Joseph  Neville  and 
Andrew  EUicott,  the  latter  acting  for  Pennsylvania  north  of  the 
Ohio,  where  Virginia  pretensions  ended  by  reason  of  her  cession  of 
the  Northwest  Territory  to  the  United  States  in  1 784.  It  was  not 
until  1786  that  the  line  was  completed  to  the  lake  by  Col.  Porter 
and  Alexander  McClean,  Thereupon,  Pennsylvania  began  negotia- 
tions with  the  United  States  for  the  purchase  of  the  Erie  Triangle, 
which  New  York,  in  1781,  and  Massachusetts,  in  1784,  had  ceded 
to  them,  including  all  their  claims  west  of  a  meridian  passing  by  the 
most  westerly  bent  of  Lake  Ontario.  This  line  was  established  by 
Mr.  EUicott  in  1790,  and  the  purchase  consummated  in  1792,  at  a 
cost  of  about  $155,000,  including  what  was  paid  to  the  Indians. 
It  contains  202,187  acres.  In  this  way  has  Pennsylvania  filled  out 
her  fair  proportions,  and  come  to  possess  what  no  other  State  has,  a 
port  of  entry  upon  one  of  the  great  Northern  lakes,  another  at  the 


J 40  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

head  of  the  Ohio,  and  yet  another  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  best 
bays  of  the  Middle  Atlantic.  We  return  to  our  friends  over  the 
river. 

Within  the  year  preceding  the  erection  of  Washington  County  a 
great  change  was  coming  over  the  population  of  Southwestern  Penn- 
sylvania. In  March,  1780,  Pennsylvania  passed  her  "Act  for  the 
gradual  abolition  of  slavery."  Many  of  our  early  settlers  had 
brought  their  negro  slaves  with  them.  Kentucky  was  then  having 
its  turn  as  the  El  Dorado  of  the  West.  Thither  many  of  the  best 
of  our  pioneer  settlers  removed,  carrying  with  them  from  our  new 
nursery  those  germs  of  religion  which,  ere  long,  grew  so  luxuriantly 
in  that  then  Virginia  county.  Not  only  was  the  population  rapidly 
changing,  but  discontent  and  alarm  pervaded  our  entire  territory, 
especially  west  of  the  Monongahela  and  upon  the  Allegheny  border 
of  Westmoreland.  Wrote  General  Brodhead,  then  U.  S.  Com- 
mander at  Pittsburgh,  September  23d,  1780:  "The  emigrations 
from  this  new  country  to  Kentuckif  are  incredible;  and  this  has 
given  opportunity  to  disaffected  people  from  the  interior  to  purchase 
and  settle  their  lands."  And  again,  December  7th,  1780:  "  I  learn 
more  and  more  of  the  disaffection  of  the  inhabitants  on  this  side  of 
the  mountains.  The  King  of  Britain's  health  is  often  drank  in  com- 
pany." He  gave  it  as  the  opinion  of  many  of  his  Virginia  officers, 
well  acquainted  in  this  part  of  the  country — among  them  Col.  John 
Gibson — that  "should  the  enemy  approach  this  frontier  and  offer 
protection,  half  the  inhabitants  would  join  them."*  Their  horizon 
of  vision  was  doubtless  limited  to  Pittsburgh  and  its  immediate  sur- 
roundings, where  there  were  not  many  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians 
at  that  period.  But  that  there  was  a  deep,  lurking  leaven  of  Toryism 
in  these  parts  in  those  days  is  beyond  question.  Even  so  late  as 
April  20,  1782,  General  Irvine,  who  had  been  in  command  at  Fort 
Pitt  since  November,  1781,  a  most  discreet  and  able  officer,  wrote  : 
"  I  am  confident,  if  this  post  was  evacuated,  the  bounds  of  Canada 
would  be  extended  to  the  Laurel  Hill  in  a  few  weeks."  This 
opinion  was  based  not  solely  upon  the  disaffection  of  the  people, 
but  also  upon  the  weakness  of  the  governments,  State  and  National. 
There  was  a  deeply  seated,  sulky  disappointment  at  having  been 

*  See  further  as  to  this  in  Appendix,  No.  1. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  341 

abandoned  by  Virginia  to  Pennsylvania,  which  readily  soured  into 
aversion  to  both,  and  to  the  United  States,  who  they  thought  had 
failed  to  afford  them  due  protection  against  the  savage  foes  in  their 
rear.  Happily,  by  the  vigilance  of  the  officers  in  command,  and 
the  virtues  of  those  who  sustained  them,  British  rule  was  averted, 
and  the  disaffected  were  forced  to  take  hold  upon  other  schemes 
that  were  less  obnoxious,  but  not  less  destructive  of  good  govern- 
ment. The  British  power  in  the  East  seemed  unable  to  rally  from 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  in  October,  1781 ;  and  the  stubborn 
Scotch-Irish  Whigs  of  Westmoreland  and  Washington  were  encour- 
aged to  a  more  vigorous  stand,  even  if  they  had  to  rely  upon  their 
own  resources.  It  is  to  them,  and  to  General  Irvine,  who  was 
Scotch-Irish  all  over,  that  Southwestern  Pennsylvania  is  indebted 
for  its  survival  of  the  perils  and  calamities  of  1782. 

The  fitful  and  careless  recession  of  the  old  regime  in  civil  affairs, 
and  the  constantly  impeded  advances  of  the  new,  in  the  lately  dis- 
puted and  ceded  territory,  left  the  people  pretty  much  to  the  machina- 
tions of  those  whose  importance  depended  upon  hindering  the  growth 
of  their  loyalty  to  Pennsylvania.  It  required  some  time  to  get  the 
machinery  of  the  new  county  in  running  order,  and  men  at  their 
places  to  run  it.  The  old  Presbytery  of  Redstone  met  for  the  first 
time  on  the  19th  of  September,  1781,  just  thirty  days  before  the 
surrender  at  Yorktown ;  and  within  thirty  days  thereafter,  at  the 
house  of  David  Hoge,  at  Catfish's  Camp,  was  the  first  attempt 
at  a  court  for  the  county  of  Washington.  The  former  started 
on  its  career  in  perfect  harmony,  the  latter  in  discord.  The  Con- 
stitution of  1776  required  of  all  officers,  legislative,  executive, 
judicial,  and  military,  an  oath  or  affirmation  to  "be  true  and  faith- 
ful to  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,"  and  to  do  nothing 
"prejudicial  to  the  Government  thereof."  The  court  was  held  by 
justices  of  the  peace,  elected  in  the  preceding  July ;  and  upon  the 
pretext  that  because  the  lines  were  not  run,  the  assumption  of  power 
by  Pennsylvania  was  premature,  this  "  iron-clad  oath"  deterred  all 
the  old  "  gentlemen  justices,"  or  any  Virginia  partizans,  from  be- 
coming candidates.  James  Marshall,  the  newly-appointed  Lieu- 
tenant of  the  county,  its  chief  military  officer,  and  its  register  and 
recorder,  was  a  sturdy  Pennsylvanian.  The  prothonotary,  etc.^ 
Thomas  Scott,  had  been  almost  a  martyr  for  his  allegiance.    Hence, 


342  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


the  court  and  the  entire  miUtary  and  civil  corps  were  at  variance, 
if  not  with  the  majority,  at  least  with  the  most  noisy  of  the  people 
and  their  old  leaders.  Wrote  Mr.  Scott  just  after  the  court :  "  Our 
county  is  unhappily  divided  into  two  grand  parties — the  Pennsyl- 
vania and  the  Virginia — each  claiming  some  special  indulgences, 
the  one  for  their  steady  attachment  to  the  State,  the  other  for  their 
transfer,  as  they  call  it,  from  the  other  State."  To  conciliate  the 
latter  party,  Daniel  Leet,  a  sober-minded  Virginian,  and  Col.  John 
Canon,  not  so  much  so,  had  been  appointed  sub-lieutenants,  but 
they  refused  to  qualify  and  serve.  What  more  could  Pennsylvania 
do  than  to  leave  the  disease  to  work  its  own  cure,  under  the  nursing 
of  a  steady,  decisive,  but  kindly  sway.  Just  at  this  juncture  there 
came  to  her  aid  an  influx  of  population  who  were  either  thoroughly 
Pennsylvanian,  or  had  no  selfish  ends  to  subserve  by  being  any- 
thing else.  The  brunt  of  the  war  in  the  East  being  over,  many  of 
our  discharged  soldiers  there  who  had  fought  through  their  terms 
of  service  for  almost  no  pay,  and  many  others  who  had  been  con- 
nected with  the  army,  were  forced  to  seek  new  homes  in  our  valleys 
and  hills,  now  certainly  secure  against  slavery  and  religious  intole- 
rance. They  came  from  the  old  nursery  and  its  transplantations, 
and  from  the  Cumberland  •  or  Kittatinny  Valley,  and  from  New 
Jersey.  Like  their  precursors,  they  took  to  the  interior.  If  the 
outer  limbs  were  disordered,  the  trunk  was  sound.  Gradually  and 
noiselessly,  but  surely,  by  diffusing  intelligence  and  religious  prin- 
ciples throughout  the  body  politic,  it  became  restored  to  healthful 
action,  though  not  without  occasional  eruptions,  as  we  will  soon 
see, 

Washington  county  held  all  its  territory,  unbroken,  until  1 788, 
when  Allegheny  county  was  erected.  In  1796,  Greene  was  taken 
from  it;  and  in  1800  another  part  was  taken  to  make  up  the  county 
of  Beaver.     In  rapidity  of  population  it  outgrew  all  its  compeers.* 

• 

1790.           1800.  1810.  1820. 

"■Westmoreland..... 16,018  22,726  26,392  30,640 

Washington 23,866  28,298  36,289  40.038 

Fayette 13,325  20,159  24,714  27,285 

Allegheny 10,309  15,087  25,317  35,921 

Greene —             8,605  12,544  15,554 

Beaver —             5, 776  12, 168  15, 340 

In  1800  Armstrong  was  formed  from  parts  of  Allegheny,  Lycoming, 


THE   SECULAR  HISTORY. 


313 


With  what  capital  it  started  I  have  not  the  means  of  knowing,  there 
being  no  census  until  1790.  Upon  its  erection  it  was  estimated  by 
Col.  Marshall  to  have  upwards  of  2,500  men  fit  for  military  duty. 
In  1 784  he  organized  its  militia  into  five  battalions,  of  seven  and 
eight  companies  each,  which  shows  a  greater  strength  at  that  date 
than  did  Westmoreland,  including  Fayette.  If  to  this  we  add  that 
it  had  at  least  the  apostolic  number  of  well  organized  Presbyterian 
churches — more  than  in  all  Western  Pennsylvania  besides — we  may 
set  it  down  as  being  in  a  pretty  safe  condition. 

The  Virginia  party  maintained  its  ascendency  for  two  or  three 
years,  after  which  it  began  to  give  way.  At  the  October  election 
of  1781,  an  entire  "  Virginia  ticket  "  was  elected.  So  in  i  782  and 
1783.  Some  of  the  chosen  were  good  men,  but  nearly  all  were 
very  pronounced  partizans,  a  few  of  them  openly  hostile  to  Penn- 
sylvania rule — always  excepting  James  Edgar,  whose  pre-eminence 
commanded  universal  confidence.  A  decided  change  in  favor  of 
the  Pennsylvania  party  began  to  manifest  itself  in  1784,  and  thence 
onward  increasingly ;  so  much  so  that  in  a  few  years  those  who  had 
been  blatant  Virginia  partizans  were  wholly  retired,  until  the  new 
party  convulsions,  enkindled  by  love  of  France  and  hatred  of  the 
excise  law,  brought  them  again  to  the.  front.  Until  then — for  I  do 
not  wish  to  go  down  the  line  any  further — a  very  large  proportion 
of  the  elective,  as  well  as  judicial,  officers  of  the  county  were  Pres- 
byterians, many  of  whom  were,  when  elected,  or  afterwards  became, 
ruling  elders ;  one  of  them,  Mr.  Marquis,  a  minister* — pretty  un- 

and  Westmoreland,  chiefly  the  last;  and  in  1803,  Indiana  was  talcen 
chiefly  from  Westmoreland,  with  a  part  from  Lycoming.  Fa5^ette  was 
taken  from  Westmoreland  in  1783-84.  Prior  to  1800,  Allegheny  included 
all  north  of  it  to  Lake  Erie. 


*    Sup'm  Ex.  Cov,ncU\       Assembly, 


Sheriff. 


1781  oDorsey  Pentecost  James  Edgar,     1 
I    (for  two  years),    jjno.  Cannon.     | 

1782 'fflMath.  Ritchie  ; 

I  aW.McUIeerv.  I 

1783aJohn  Npyille  (for  aMath.  Kitchie  ; 
Jno.  Stevenson  ' 
The  same. 
Unknown. 


three  years). 

178t' 

1785 

1788  1)avtd  Redick 
1787   (for  three  years), 


aVan  Swearinsren 
(elected  yearly) 

Do. 

Do. 
Jas.  Marshall. 

1)0. 

Do. 
D.  Williamson. 


Commissioners. 


Thomii?  Oook>. 
aJohn  McDowell,  ] 

aGeo^/Vallandliiifham 

aGeo.  JMcUorraick. 

Demas  lAndley. 

Jas.  Allison. 
Jas.  Mf;(;!rea(ly. 
Jas.  By  ad  for  J 
Thomas  Marouis. 


Those  in  italics,  as  also  Wm.  McFarland,  elected  coroner  in  1781-82-83, 


344  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

erring  indications  of  the  predominant  character  of  the  people. 
O  si  sic  omnia  I 

As  in  the  economy  of  the  human  body,  so  in  the  body  politic, 
ill  humors  sometimes  gather  at  the  surface,  but  dissipate  without 
coming  to  a  head.  So  it  was  with  the  antipathies  to  Pennsylvania, 
which  were  coagulated  by  the  boundary  compromise  of  1779-80. 
Among  their  minor  developments  was  resistance  to  her  military 
rule ;  but  necessity  soon  compelled  acquiescence.  Then  to  taxa- 
tion, to  which  the  people  of  the  disputed  and  ceded  territories  had 
been  but  little  accustomed,  and  from  which  the  compromise  pro- 
vided for  their  entire  exoneration  prior  to  1781.  To  this  indis- 
pensable burden  of  government,  by  indulgence  and  special  favor, 
they  gradually  became  reconciled.  In  the  midst  of  all  these,  and 
while  Virginia  was  slowly  and  sullenly  receding  from  the  new 
county  territory,  and  Pennsylvania  was  firmly  but  kindly  advancing 
to  its  government,  a  trouble  of  more  portentous  aspect  arose.  This 
was  the  New  State  project.  Though  numbered  among  the  "  dead 
issues"  of  the  past,  it  has  something  to  do  with  our  subject,  and 
must  therefore  be  noticed.  It  will  be  seen  to  have  been  not  wholly 
insubstantial. 

Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  War  for  Independence,  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,  to  induce  enduring  enlistments,  promised  to  offi- 
cers and  men  bounties  in  land,  when  it  had  not  a  rood  to  give.  The 
great  unsettled  West  was  looked  to  as  the  source  of  supply,  to  be 
obtained  by  conquest.  This  consisted  prominently  of  the  valuable 
territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  to  the  Mississippi  and  the  lakes,  which 
Great  Britain  had  acquired  from  France  by  the  treaty  of  1763,  the 

and  Will.  McCombs  in  1784-85-86,  were,  or  afterwards  became,  ruling 
elders;  and  James  Edgar  and  John  McDowell  were,  in  1783,  elected  to 
the  Council  of  Censors— a  State  revisory  body  under  the  Constitution 
of  1776.  Tney,  and  Matthew  Ritchie  and  James  Allison  were  also  Asso- 
ciate Judges,  under  the  Constitution  of  1790. 

Those  marked  thus  (a)  had  been  officers,  civil  or  military,  or  both, 
under  the  Virginia  regime,  all  in  Yoaogania  county,  except  Wm.  Mc- 
Cleery,  in  Monongalia.  Col.  Marshall,  elected  Sheritf  in  1784-85-86, 
the  County  Lieutenant  and  Register  and  Recorder  of  1781,  etc.,  was  the 
very  antipode  in  party  affiliations  to  Pentecost  and  Cannon,  whom  he 
denominated  "ring-leaders  of  sedition."  But  he  and  Cannou  got  iuto 
the  same  boJ  in  1791. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  345 


settlement  of  which  she  had  persistently  discouraged  and  forbidden. 
Among  the  obnoxious  Acts  of  the  British  Parliament  complained  of 
in  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  is  one  "for  abolishing  the 
free  system  of  English  laws  in  a  neighboring  Province,  &c.,  and 
enlarging  its  boundaries."  This  was  the  Quebec  Act,  and  the  en- 
largement was  the  annexation  of  this  N.  W.  Territory  to  Canada, 
expressly  bounding  it  upon  Pennsylvania.  Its  terrors  to  many  of 
the  colonists,  especially  to  our  New  England  friends,  consisted  in 
its  spread  and  toleration  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion.  This  was 
in  1774,  and  if  not  within  the  bounds  of  some  prior  colonial  grants, 
die  Parliament  had  a  right  to  do  with  it  as  they  pleased ;  if  it  was, 
then  upon  the  revolt  of  the  colonies,  England  had  a  right  to  take  it 
from  them  if  she  could.     It  soon  became  an  apple  of  discord. 

Six  of  the  old  thirteen  colonies  which  became  states  in  1776 — 
Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  Virginia,  North  and  South  Carolina, 
and  Georgia,  claimed  by  charters  or  otherwise  to  extend  westward 
to  the  Pacific,  or  at  least  to  the  Mississippi.  New  Hampshire  and 
New  York  had  conflicting  claims  to  what  in  1792  became  the  State 
of  Vermont.  New  York  claimed  all  west  of  her  settlements, 
between  N.  Lat.  42°  and  45°,  that  had  at  any  time  been  conquered 
and  held  by  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians,  her  constant  allies  and 
proteges,  which  included  the  peninsula  between  the  Lakes  Ontario, 
Erie,  and  Huron,  but  which  was  cut  off  by  the  Treaty  of  Peace  of 
1783.  Massachusetts  claimed  to  cover  the  same  territory.  To  these 
we  are  indebted  for  the  Erie  triangle.  Connecticut  claimed  all  west 
of  her  to  the  "  South  Sea ;"  under  which  she  for  a  while  set  up  her 
"town"  of  Westmoreland,  on  the  East  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna, 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  ultimately  secured  the  property  in  her  Wes- 
tern Reserve  in  Ohio,  to  the  extent  of  120  miles  west  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, north  of  41°.  Three  of  the  States — Rhode  island,  New 
Jersey,  and  Delaware — could  have  no  westward  pretensions,  and 
Maryland  very  little.  Pennsylvania  had  a  half-way,  or  keystone 
position,  between  these  two  classes  of  states ;  having  valuable  terri- 
tory west  of  the  Atlantic  slope,  but  not  reaching  very  far  towards 
the  Mississippi  or  Pacific,  and  hedged  in  on  two  sides  of  her  south- 
west angle  by  what  was  claimed  to  be  Virginia.  She  had  a  perilous 
and  perplexing  position. 

These  great  inequalities  in  territorial  areas  and  pretensions  con- 


34(>  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

duced  to  strifes  and  jealousies  between  the  larger  and  smaller  States, 
which  greatly  impaired  their  vigor  in  the  struggle  for  Independence, 
and  after  it  was  achieved,  gave  to  the  old  Continental  Congress  a 
foretaste  of  the  angry  discussions  which  the  "peculiar  institution" 
has  inflicted  upon  Congress  and  the  country  in  modern  times. 
Although  "these  united  Colonies"  had,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1776, 
declared  themselves  "free  and  independent  States,  with  full  power 
to  levy  war,  conclude  peace,  and  do  all  other  things  which  inde- 
pendent States  may  of  right  do,"  including,  of  course,  the  right  to 
make  conquests  of  the  enemy's  territory,  and  hold  it  for  the  good 
of  the  whole  ;  yet  Virginia,  in  1778,  in  bad  faith  to  her  sister  States, 
sent  Col.  George  Rogers  Clarke,  with  Virginia  troops,  but  with 
boats  and  munitions  of  war  belonging  to  the  States  united,  obtained 
from  General  Hand  at  Fort  Pitt,  to  conquer  and  hold  for  herself 
alone  the  Illinois  country,  part  of  this  same  northwest  territory.  In 
1779,  she  deliberately  promulgated  the  dogma  that  the  United 
States  could  "  hold  no  territory  but  in  right  of  some  one  individual 
State,"  and  she  and  the  other  large  claiming  States  adhered  to  it, 
which  was  as  much  as  saying  to  the  little  States,  This  is  our  war,  not 
yours — whatever  of  blood  and  treasure  you  expend  is  to  enure  solely 
to  our  benefit,  and  to  obtain  land  to  reimburse  our  expenditures, 
except  what  we  may  choose  to  give  you.  And  if  the  United  States 
should  conquer  Canada,  Nova  Scotia,  or  Jamaica,  they  cannot 
hold  them,  because  forsooth  not  within  the  chartered  limits  of  Vir- 
ginia, or  some  other  State.     It  was  no  wonder  the  war  languished. 

Just  before  the  Revolution,  many  new  colony  schemes  sprung  up 
in  the  West,  which  were  in  whole  or  in  part  grounded  upon  the  ter- 
ritory north  and  south  of  the  Ohio,  claimed  afterwards  by  Virginia. 
Dunmore,  the  King's  Vice-gerent,  scowled  furiously  upon  any  gotten 
up  south  of.  the  Ohio,  as  was  Henderson  and  company's  colony  of 
Transylvania,  in  Kentucky,  but  rather  favored  projects  of  a  like  na- 
ture north  of  the  Ohio,  especially  those  in  which  he  was,  or  hoped 
to  become,  a  partner  or  participant,  as  he  was  in  the  Wabash  and 
Illinois  companies  under  purchases  from  the  Indians.  And  no 
doubt  Col.  Croghan  had  given  to  him,  and  his  nephew  Connolly, 
interests,  vested  or  expectant,  in  his  Indian  purchase  between  Rac- 
coon and  Pigeon  Creek. 

The   most  prominent  of  these  inceptive  colonies,  and  the  one 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  347 

which  most  nearly  concerns  us,  was  the  Walpole  grant,  or  Vandalia. 
Its  territory  was  to  be,  without  defining  it  minutely  :  Northwestern 
Virginia,  from  Fairfax's  stone,  through  the  Forks  of  Greenbrier  and 
New  Rivers  to  the  North  Carolina  line,  and  so  much  of  Kentucky 
as  is  east  of  the  meridian  of  the  mouth  of  Sciota,  but  without  trench- 
ing upon  Pennsylvania.  This  was  in  project  from  1770  to  1773. 
Dr.  Franklin,  then  in  London,  was  its  earnest  and  efficient  advo- 
cate. Upon  his  advocacy  its  charter  passed  the  scrutiny  of  the 
King's  Council  against  the  opposition  of  Lord  Hillsborough,  Secre- 
tary of  State  for  the  Colonial  Department,  which  so  chagrined  him 
that  he  resigned.  But  his  system  of  no  new  colonies  in  the  west  re- 
mained, and  Lord  Chancellor  Thurlow  took  care  that  the  charter 
should  never  be  sealed.  But  for  this,  and  the  rising  revolt  of  the 
colonies,  the  star  of  Vandalia  would  now  be  shining  in  the  galaxy 
of  States,  instead  of  West  Virginia,  the  severance  of  which  is  some 
retribution  for  the  arrogant  obstinacy  and  land  greed  of  the  old 
parent.     The  new  State  should  have  taken  the  name. 

When  the  Articles  of  Confederation,  proposed  in  1776,  were 
from  time  to  time  under  consideration  in  Congress  and  by  the 
States,  the  four  smaller  States,  especially  Maryland,  with  whom 
Pennsylvania  always  acted,  and  sometimes  New  York,  struggled 
hard  to  have  a  provision  incorporated  empowering  Congress  to 
limit  the  extent  of  those  that  claimed  to  the  Pacific  or  the  Missis- 
sippi, but  all  in  vain.  The  States  south  of  the  Potomac,  headed  by 
Virginia,  always  by  bluster,  and  the  concurrence  of  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut,  and  sometimes  New  York,  succeeded  in  prevent- 
ing it.  For  this  reason  it  was  not  until  1781  that  the  Articles  were 
finally  adopted,  Maryland,  the  last,  coming  in  under  protest. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  strifes  and  struggles  that  our  new 
State  project  began  to  be  agitated.  Indeed,  there  is  some  evidence 
that  it  was  part  of  the  plot  of  Dunmore  and  Connolly  to  erect  a  new 
colony  here,  taking  the  Vandalia  grant  for  a  nucleus,  and  annexing 
to  it  Pennsylvania  west  of  the  Laurel  Hill  and  the  Allegheny  river, 
and  Ohio  west  of  Sciota,  with  Pittsburgh  as  the  seat  of  empire. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  no  sooner  did  it  seem  to  be  a  foregone  conclusion 
by  the  agreement  at  Baltimore,  that  Virginia  would  have  to  yield  her 
usurpation,  than  the  scheme  was  openly  avowed.  Virginia  had 
so  long  withheld  her  conditional  ratification  of  the  agreement,  that 


34S  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

good  men  were  apprehensive  of  a  re-opening  of  the  strife  in  per- 
haps redoubled  fury,  and  the  disappointed  and  designing  factionists 
were  encouraged  to  hopeful  exertion.  In  the  meantime,  the  de- 
population and  perils  of  the  northern  frontier  of  Westmoreland  had 
driven  her  courts  to  become  peripatetic,  sitting  sometimes  at  Mt. 
Pleasant  and  elsewhere,  because  of  the  dangers  at  Hannastown ;  and 
petitions  were  pouring  in  upon  the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  ask- 
ing the  erection  of  a  new  county — ultimately  Fayette — out  of  all  her 
territory  south  of  the  Youghiogheny,  into  which,  as  already  noticed, 
Indian  aggressions  never  came  after  Braddock's  war.*  A  bill  to 
that  effect  was  reported  and  favorably  considered.  This  seems  to 
have  effectually  weaned  the  people  in  that  quarter  from  the  New 
State  project.  Pending  its  final  passage,  Pennsylvania  concluded 
to  accept  the  conditions  which  Virginia  had  imposed,  and  thus 
closed  the  boundary  controversy.  This  turned  the  necessities  for  a 
new  county  to  the  west  of  the  Monongahela,  and  Fayette  had  to  go 
over  until  1783.  But  ''  hope  deferred"  did^  not  sicken  her  people's 
allegiance  to  Pennsylvania.  The  delays  in  running  the  lines  were 
alike  the  cause  and  the  consequence  of  further  agitations  of  the  New 
State  project.  Meetings  were  held  all  over  the  late  county  of  Yo- 
hogania  to  promote  it.  Petitions  were  sent  down  to  Congress  after 
the  articles  of  Confederation  were  adopted,  asking  the  compromise 
with  Virginia  to  be  annulled,  and  the  curvilinear  parallel  line  re- 
stored, or  that  Congress  should  provide  for  determining  the  bounds 
under  one  of  its  granted  powers.  These  were  of  course  unheeded, 
not  even  received — Congress  no  doubt  believing  they  had  enough 
to  do  without  opening  a  controversy  which  had  been  closed. 

The  agitators  were  not  dismayed  by  this  repulse.  A  new  element 
to  favor  the  scheme  had  come  to  their  aid.  Early  in  1780,  New 
York  proposed  to  surrender  to  the  United  States  all  her  territorial 
clainxs  west  of  a  meridian  from  42°  to  45°,  passing  by  the  most 


*It  was  not  beranse  of  any  "incursions  of  tho  savages"  into  tiie 
neighborliood  of  Laurel  Hill  Mecting-houso,  that  the  members  of  Red- 
stone Presbytery  were  prevented  from  holding  their  first  meeting  there 
on  September  19,  1781,  according  to  appointment  of  Synod,  but  because 
of  apprehended  incursions  at  or  near  tiieir  homes,  west  of  the  Monon- 
gahela. Mr.  Power,  wiio  lived  on  the  eastern  side,  was  not  afraid — he 
was  at  the  meeting  at  Pigeon  Creek.    "  Old  Redstone,"  312-13. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  JV9 

westerly  bent  of  Lake  Ontario,  or  at  least  twenty  miles  west  of 
Niagara  River.  This  concession  was  thought,  at  that  time,  to  be  a 
valuable  one,  as  the  United  States  were  hoping  to  be  able  to  get  a 
boundary  in  that  direction  as  far  north  as  Lake  Nippissing.  Failing 
in  that,  it  would  be  a  good  beginning.  Thereupon  Congress,  on 
the  6th  of  September,  1780,  in  an  earnest  report  and  resolution, 
acknowledged  the  generous  offer  of  New  York,  and  asked  the  other 
States  having  claims  to  the  western  country  to  "go  and  do  like- 
wise." And,  on  the  loth  of  October  of  the  same  year,  they  supple- 
mented their  former  resolution  by  a  still  more  earnest  appeal,  and 
an  assurance  that  the  territories  so  ceded  should  be  formed  into 
distinct  States,  of  not  less  than  one  hundred,  nor  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  square.  Other  assurances  were  given, 
calculated  to  appease  all  the  States,  especially  Virginia.  Here 
were  New  State  schemes  in  abundance,  and  Pennsylvania  had  some 
"claims  to  the  western  country." 

Now,  it  was  not  only  the  late  Virginia  partizans  who  were  capti- 
vated with  the  hope  of  a  New  State.  Good  and  true  Pennsylvanians 
began  to  favor  it.  Even  so  loyal  a  citizen  as  Thomas  Scott  gave  it 
a  not  unfavorable  consideration.  In  January,  1781,  after  he  had 
served  a  term  as  Councilor  for  Westmoreland,  he  wrote  to  Joseph 
Reed,  President  of  the  Supreme  Executive  Council,  inquiring 
whether  the  resolutions  of  Congress  of  September  and  October, 
1780,  were  understood  to  embrace  Pennsylvania,  whether  the  State 
would  come  into  the  measure,  and  whether,  if  it  did,  would  it  carry 
the  settled  as  well  as  the  unsettled  parts?  "If  so,"  he  says, 
"I  believe  it  will  meet  but  few  objections  on  this  side  of 
the  mountains.  But,  should  the  unsettled  parts  be  relinquished, 
and  the  settled  parts  retained,  the  people  would  think  them- 
selves intolerably  aggrieved.  Give  up  all,  and  let  us  take  our 
chance,  or  keep  all,  and  let  us  grow,  is  the  cry  of  many. 
Others  say,  let  us,  by  dint  of  opposition,  force  our  relinquish- 
ment to  Congress  (on  their  recommendation)  by  those  States 
(Virginia  and  Pennsylvania)  whose  procrastinated  quarrel  about 
our  country  hath  hung  us  up,  our  wives,  children,  and  livings, 
an  easy  prey  to  the  savages  these  so  many  years  \  the  settle- 
ment whereof  hath,  in  so  many  instances,  been  totally  neglected, 
an  1  at  best  been  considered  but  a  mere  bye-business.     This  will  at 


jSo  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

once  reconcile  all  our  territorial  differences,  and  enable  us  to 
exert  our  united  strength  against  our  common  enemy."  After 
alluding  to  a  memorial  which  had  been  prepared  to  be  sent  to  the 
Assembly,  "respecting  the  price  of  our  land,"  he  adds,  "should 
that  memorial  be  unsuccessful,  I  do  not  think  there  are  many,  per- 
liaps  not  ten  men  on  this  side*  of  the  mountains,  that  would  not  lift 
arms  against  the  State."  * 

I  have  quoted  thus  copiously  from  Mr.  Scott's  letter  because  it  is 
the  most  full  and  candid  cotemporary  statement  extant  of  the  sub- 
stantial grounds  upon  which  the  New  State  project  was,  or  could  be, 
placed.  The  two  great  grievances  which  it  was  to  cure  were,  the 
gross  inequalities  in  the  prices  of  lands  which  the  Virginia  condition 
had  established,  and  the  lack  of  adequate  aid  from  either  State,  or 
from  the  United  States,  to  protect  the  settlers  from  the  savages. 
The  first  was  remedied  by  indefinite  and  long-extended  indulgence 
for  payment — not  yet  wholly  foreclosed;  the  other  was  removed 
by  the  earnest,  if  not  always  effectual,  assistance  rendered  by  Penn- 
sylvania and  Congress,  after  Virginia  influence  had  ceased  its 
thwartings.  For  a  while,  as  we  have  seen,  the  great  trouble  was  the 
delay  in  running  the  lines  of  boundary.  But  sensible  people  soon 
began  to  see  that  the  delay  was  not  the  fault  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
accession  of  Gen.  Irvine  to  the  chief  command  at  Pittsburgh,  from 
the  fall  of  1 781  to  the  peace  of  1783,  was  a  great  relief.  He 
brought  order  out  of  confusion,  and  held  the  settlers  up  steadily  and 
hopefully  to  their  own  defence.  They  had  become  inured  to  this. 
They  had  their  block-houses  and  forts  and  stations  dotted  all  over 
the  exposed  territory,  to  which  their  wives  and  children  resorted  in 
times  of  danger,  with  vigilant  scouts  and  rangers  to  patrol  the 
border  lines  and  ^ive  the  alarm.  All  they  wanted  was  encourage- 
ment and  ammunition.     They  had  learned  to 

"  Front  death  and  danger  with  a  level  eye, 
Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  keep  their  powder  dry ;" 

and  they  did  it  in  faith  and  patience.  Going  to  church  with  their 
rifles  and  powder-horns  was  no  fiction.  The  interior  settlements, 
though  sometimes  frightened — as  were  some  of  us  during  the  late 
"  unpleasantness  " — never  run,  except  to  the  relief  of  the  borderers; 

*  Pennsylvania  Archives,  VIII.,  713. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  351 

and  if  these  sometimes  suffered  by  sudden  inroads  of  the  savages, 
they  quickly  ralhed  and  returned,  or  "held  the  fort"  in  hope, 
especially  where  they  had  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  to  back  them 
up.  In  spite  of  all  their  perils  and  privations,  they  grew  in  strength 
and  population  with  unprecedented  rapidity.  During  all  the  pe- 
rilous years,  from  1777  to  1793,  I  know  of  no  recorded  instance 
of  a  failure  of  a  church  meeting  of  any  kind  west  of  the  Mononga- 
hela,  or  east  of  it  either,  south  of  Forbes's  road,  "by  reason  of 
incursions-  of  the  savages,"  except  the  failures  of  Presbytery  to 
meet  at  Laurel  Hill,  Sewickley,  and  Mt.  Pleasant,  in  1781  and 
1782,  which  need  not  have  occurred,  except  upon  the  injunction 
of  Laertes,  that  "best  safety  Ues  in  fear."  There  was  no  need  of  a 
New  State  for  these  reasons. 

Precisely  what  limits  it  was  proposed  to  ask  for  the  New  State — • 
what  territories  it  was  to  occupy,  has  never  been  disclosed.  When 
first  broached,  in  1780,  it  certainly  was,  in  some  way,  to  include  as 
much  of  Pennsylvania  east  of  the  Monongahela  as  it  could  get,  and 
all  west  of  that  river  to  the  Ohio,  and  go  southward  into  Virginia  as 
far  as  one  of  the  rivers  Kenhawa,  so  as  to  embrace  all  of  the  old 
Indiana,  or  Traders'  grant,  and  a  goodly  part  of  Vandalia,  both  of 
which  were  then  plying  Congress  not  to  become  States,  but  to  have 
their  titles  recognized.  Northwards  it  was  to  take  in  what  is  now 
Ohio,  east  of  the  Sciota  or  Muskingum,  but  perhaps  only  as  far 
north  as  41°,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  Connecticut's  claim.  Its 
promoters  saw  the  importance  of  conciliating  rivals  and  obtaining 
allies.  East  of  the  Monongahela  it  must  have  had  trouble  to 
fix  its  boundaries.  It  wanted  Pittsburgh,  and  the  Forks  of  Yough 
wanted  it ;  but  Pittsburgh  and  the  people  east  of  it,  and  southeast 
of  the  Youghiogheny,  shunned  its  embraces.  Although  it  began  in 
love  of  Virginia,  finding  it  unrequited,  she,  as  well  as  Pennsylvania, 
was  disowned. 

In  1782  the  most  active,  if  not  the  most  open,  promoters  of  the 
scheme  were  Colonels  Cannon  and  Pentecost,  each  of  whom  had 
taken  the  "  iron-clad  oath,"  the  former  as  Assemblyman,  the  latter 
as  Councilor.  Hugh  Henry  Brackenridge  (but  then  calling  himself 
Hugh  Montgomery  Brackenridge),  the  famous  but  somewhat  eccen- 
tric lawyer  of  Pittsburgh,  afterwards  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
testified  on  oath,  in  July,   1782,  that  he  heard  Pentecost  "on  his 


2 S3  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 


return  from  Counqil  declare  that  the  line  (meaning  that  with  Vir- 
ginia and  this  Commonwealth)  would  never  be  run,  and  that  this 
country  never  would  be  Pennsylvania  or  Virginia,  but  a  New  State  " 
and  that  meetings  of  "a  seditious  nature"  were  being  held  upon 
anonymous  advertisements  in  his  handwriting.  Pentecost  attempted 
a  noisy  disclaimer  of  this,  but  thereby  afforded  only  more  convinc- 
ing proof  of  its  verity.* 

Up  until  early  in  1782  the  scheme  had  been  looked  upon  as  the 
mere  effervescence  of  maddened  Virginia  partizans,  and  a  belief 
indulged  that  it  would  soon  expire  by  its  own  convulsions.  The 
disease  now  assumed  a  new  diagnosis.  As  allies,  Indiana  and 
Vandalia  became  more  and  more  hopeless.  Virginia  assailed  them 
with  vindictive  fury,  and  Congress  at  last  turned  them  over  to  her 
for  redress.  Virginia  had  offered  to  cede  to  the  United  States  the 
Northwest  Territory,  but  with  valuable  reservations,  and  upon 
condition  that  all  her  territorial  claims  southeast  of  the  Ohio  should 
be  guaranteed  to  her  by  Congress,  which  it  had  refused  to  do. 
This  made  her  cause  somewhat  unpopular,  and  the  territory  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  began  to  be  looked  upon  as  an  easy  prey  to  adven- 
turers of  every  kind  who  could  get  a  footing  upon  it.  But  in  any 
event,  the  peninsula  west  of  the  Monongahela  must  go  with  it.  This 
secured,  the  scheme  could  go  north,  south,  east,  or  west,  "  for 
quantity."  It  was  not  until  1784,  after  Virginia  had  withdrawn 
her  condition  of  guaranty,  that  the  offered  cession  to  the  United 
States  of  the  Northwest  Territory  was  accepted  and  consummated. 
For  a  while  it  seemed  almost  to  have  no  owner.  Even  Virginia  had 
persistently  voted  in  Congress  to  relinquish  to  Great  Britain  all  of 
it  north  of  a  line  from  the  mouth  of  Miami  of  the  Lake  to  the 
Illinois,  and  thence  down  that  river  to  the  Mississippi.  It  was  the 
Northern  and  Middle  States  that  saved  to  the  Union  Michigan  and 
Wisconsin,  and  those  goodly  parts  of  Illinois  and  Minnesota. 

In  April,  1782,  General  Irvine  wrote  to  Governor  Harrison,  of 
Virginia,  and  again,  in  May,  to  the  Executive  Council  of  Pennsyl- 
vania— "  An  expedition  much  talked  of  is  to  emigrate  and  set  up  a 
New  State.  A  day  is  appointed  to  meet  for  the  purpose.  A  certain 
Mr.  Johnston,  who  has  been  in  England  since  the  commencement 

*  Pennsylvania  Archives,  IX.,  572-6G2. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  353 

of  the  present  war,  is  at  the  head  of  the  emigrating  party,  and  has  a 
form  of  constitution  ready  for  the  new  government.  I  am  well 
informed  he  is  now  in  the  East  trying  to  procure  artillery  and 
stores.  Some  think  he  is  too  trifling  a  being  to  be  worthy  of  notice. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  he  has  many  followers.  And  it  is  highly  probable 
that  men  of  more  influence  than  he  are  privately  at  work.  Should 
they  be  so  mad  as  to  attempt  it,  I  think  they  %vill  either  be  cut  to 
pieces  or  be  obliged  to  take  protection  from  and  join  the  British. 
Perhaps  some  have  this  in  view,  though  the  great  majority  are,  I 
think,  well  meaning  people,  who  have  at  present  no  other  views 
than  to  acquire  large  tracts  of  land."*  And  so  late  as  September, 
1782,  in  Instructions  to  Major  Craig,  whom  he  was  leaving  in  tem- 
porary command  of  Fort  Pitt,  he  warned  him  that  "  there  are  men 
in  this  country  who  are  not  too  good,  in  order  to  favor  a  scheme  of  a 
New  State,  to  devise  plans  to  get  possession  of  this  post,  particularly 
the  stores,"  and  that  alarms  might  be  got  up  on  purpose  to  get 
volunteers  in  whom  he  would  find  difficulty  to  get  out.* 

At  what  point  the  new  government  was  to  be  "set  up  "  has  not 
been  revealed.  It  was  somewhere  on  the  Muskingum,  as  the  Tusca- 
rawas branch  was  then  called,  recently  depopulated  by  the  aisgrace- 
ful  slaughter  of  the  Moravian  Indians,  in  Williamson's  expedition, 
and  the  terrible  failure  of  Crawford's  campaign.  That  very  region 
had  been  impliedly  set  apart  by  Congress  to  fulfill  its  promises  of 
bounty  lands  to  officers  on  Continental  establishment;  and  if,  as 
now  seemed  probable,  it  was  part  of  the  scheme  to  take  from  Penn- 
sylvania her  ungranted  territory  west  of  the  Allegheny,  it  would  be 
robbing  her  of  what  she  had  set  apart  as  donations  to  her  soldiers, 
and  to  redeem  their  depreciation  certificates.  The  scheme  had 
become  alarming. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  up  to  the  adoption  of  the  Federal 
Constitution,  in  1788-89,  there  was  no  positive  prohibition,  by 
statute  or  constitution,  of  a  New  State  anywhere  upon  the  public 
domain,  or  that  of  any  one  or  more  of  the  States.  Kentucky  and 
Vermont  had  set  up  for  States,  and  persisted  until  1792,  when  they 
were  admitted — a  slave  State  to  counterbalance  a  free  one — thereby 
becoming  precedents  for  like  enterprizes  in  modern  times,  which 

*  "Olden  Time,"  IT.,  r)37,  and  Irvine  Papers,  MSS. 
X 


354  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENV/AL    CONVENTION. 

Congress  has  recognized  as  constitutional.  Hence,  there  was  no 
criminality,  moral  or  political,  in  such  schemes,  except  so  far  as  they 
assailed  the  sovereignty  of  the  States  to  be  affected  by  them.  And 
this,  it  was  supposed,  might  be  readily  condoned  under  the  spirit  of 
the  resolutions  of  Congress  of  1780. 

Opportunely,  at  this  crisis,  a  Court  of  Congress,  under  one  of 
the  Articles  of  Confederation,  which  sat  at  Trenton,  had  just 
decided  unanimously  in  favor  of  Pennsylvania,  as  against  the  claim 
of  Connecticut,  thereby  impliedly  affirming  her  right  to  all  the  ter- 
ritory within  her  charter,  even  as  against  the  royal  grants  to  older 
colonies.  And  to  crush  out  all  such  schemes  of  intrusion  or  dis- 
memberment, present  or  future,  she,  by  an  act  passed  December 
2d,  1782,  declared  that  every  attempt  to  set  up  a  New  State,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  upon  her  territory,  should  be  treason.  Matters 
were  now  becoming  serious. 

It  was  to  feel  the  pulse  of  the  people  on  our  Western  borders  on 
this  wild  and  now  illegal  schema,  and  if  possible  dissuade  them  from 
its  further  pursuit,  that  the  Rev.  James  Finley  was,  in  the  spring 
of  1783,  sent  out  by  the  State  among  them.  His  appointment  was 
procurea  at  the  instance  of  John  McDowell,  the  member  of  Council 
for  Chester  County,*  who  certified  that  he  was  a  proper  person  to 
employ,  being  well  acquainted  with  most  of  the  principal  people, 
was  expected  there  this  spring,  and  could  therefore  act  without 
being  suspected  of  being  in  the  service  of  the  State.  He  accord- 
ingly came,  in  March,  armed  with  a  hundred  copies  of  the  Act  of 
December,  1782,  before  referred  to,  of  another  Act  for  disposing 
of  the  donation  and  depreciation  lands  when  acquired  from  the 
Indians,  and  of  a  Proclamation  embodying  the  decision  against 
Connecticut.  In  his  report  to  the  Executive  Council,  dated  ''  Cecil 
County,  Maryland,  April  28,  1783,"  he  says  he  was  six  weeks  in 

*  Misled  by  identity  of  names,  in  an  article  from  my  pen  on  this  sub- 
ject witli  others,  formerly  published,  I  inadvertently  said  that  this  was 
John  McDowell  of  Chartiers,  who  was  never  a  member  of  the  Supreme 
Executive  Council  of  the  State.  And  here  I  correct  an  error  into  which 
Dr.  Creifjh's  printer  of  his  History  of  Washington  County,  page  252,  has 
fallen,  by  putting  members  of  vl«sem6/^  under  the  heading  of  "Repre- 
sentatives to  the  Supreme  Executive  Council,"  and  omitting  the  latter 
altogether,  who  were':  1781,  Dorsey  Pentecost;  1783,  John  Neville;  1786, 
David  Redick;  1780,  and  last,  Henry  Taylor. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  SSS 

the  disaffected  country — that  east  of  the  Youghiog^««/  (in  the 
Fayette  part),  the  inhabitants  being  mostly  opposed  to  the  New 
State,  he  passed  them  by.  "A  considerable  number  of  those  be- 
tween said  river  and  the  Monongahela,  as  well  as  a  great  part 
of  Washington  County,  I  found  to  be  fond  of  it,  being  misled  by 
a  few  aspiring  and,  I  suspect,  ill-designing  men,  or  by  men  who 
had  not  thoroughly  considered  the  whole  matter,  which  latter  was 
the  case  oi  some  of  the  clergy.'^  His  modes  of  operation  were  to 
caution  the  people  after  sermons,  talk  to  the  "ministers  and  other 
gentlemen,"  and  write  argumentatively  and  persuasively  to  others, 
but  never  disclosing  his  agency.  "  The  New  State's  men  alleged  I 
was  too  officious — the  law  intimidated  and  discouraged  the  popu- 
lace— even  the  ringleaders  were  for  eating  in  their  own  words."  He 
hoped  he  had  done  some  good,  "yet  the  people  seemed  rather 
hushed  than  convinced."  He  feared  that,  being  disappointed  as  to 
a  New  State,  they  would  try  to  evade  the  payment  of  a  tax,  unless' 
in  flour,  to  be  run,  he  suggested,  by  a  State  agent  to  New  Orleans, 
for,  says  he,  "those  settlements  are  nearly  destitute  of  cash."* 
This  was  advising  the  very  measure  of  relief  which  Robert  Morris 
had  proposed  in  1782,  but  which  Pentecost  had  openly  resisted. 

Now,  it  is  presumed  that  Mr.  Finley's  conferences  with  the  clergy 
west  of  the  Monongahela  were  chiefly,  if  not  wholly,  with  Presby- 
terians—McMillan, Smith,  Dod,  and  Clark.  Does  he  mean  that 
some  of  them  had  been  misleading  the  people  ?  His  language  looks 
that  way.  And  if  they  did  so  because  they  "had  not  thoroughly 
considered  the  whole  matter,"  who  can  blame  them?  It  was  a  cap- 
tivating scheme,  and,  until  recently,  not  forbidden.  And  if  they  had 
not  been  as  "wise  as  serpents"  to  discern  its  seditious  origin  and 
the  mischiefs  it  would  work,  it  was  perhaps  because  they  were  as 
"  harmless  as  doves."  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  project  quickly  died 
out,  and  disaffection  receded,  until  again  provoked  to  action  in 
other  forms  by  other  influences  and  other  laws,  soon  to  be  con- 
sidered. And  yet,  in  looking  back  upon  the  New  State  project,  one 
may  be  pardoned  for  at  least  a  half-drawn  sigh  at  its  decapitation. 
With  Pittsburgh  for  its  capital,  so  natural  as  to  seem  to  have  been 
made  for  it,  how  cosily  would  it  have  sat  in  the  sisterhood  of  States. 

*  Pennsylvania  Archives,  X.,  40-44. 


jjd  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

The  decade  of  years  that  followed  the  demise  of  the  New  State 
embryo  was  a  period  of  comparative  quiet  and  good  order  in  all 
the  counties,  new  and  old,  of  Western  Pennsylvania — marked 
improvement  upon  the  like  period  which  preceded  it.  Many  of 
the  late  disturbers  of  the  peace  gradually  went  off  into  the  further 
West,  giving  place  to  a  more  desirable  influx  of  people  from  the 
southeastern  and  interior  counties  of  the  State,  from  New  Jersey, 
and  from  Ireland  and  Scotland.  Even  Pentecost,  who,  to  con- 
ciliate himself  and  his  friends,  had  been,  in  1783,  appointed  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  Courts  of  Washington  County,  after  two  or  three 
years  of  brooding  over  his  fallen  estate,  retired  in  disgust  to  a 
neighboring  State,  without  the  courtesy  to  his  late  colleagues  in 
council  of  sending  them  his  resignation.  No  muffled  drum  was 
beat  upon  the  going  of  these  factionists,  and  if  more  of  them  and 
their  followers  had  gone  it  would  have  been  all  the  better  for  the 
fair  fame  of  the  country  they  left.  They  could  not,  however,  have 
taken  away  all  the  elements  of  discord  and  distrust  which  had 
become  inherent  in  the  very  being  of  our  settlements.  For  I  have 
come  far  short  of  the  aim  of  much  of  the  preceding  sketches,  if  it 
has  not  been  made  manifest  that  there  .were  many  of  our  early 
settlers  who  had  an  ineradicable  aversion  to  the  burdens  of  govern- 
ment; and  that  many  more,  even  the  best  of  them,  were  ever 
ready  to  challenge  whatever  came  in  the  form  of  questionable  taxa- 
tion, especially  if  such  were  formulated  after  any  English  model, 
from  some  of  which  they  had  fled,  and  others  of  which  they  had 
just  successfully  resisted. 

The  war  for  Independence  had  resulted  in  its  achievement, 
but  it  lingered  long  in  the  demoralization  it  had  wrought,  and 
in  the  crushing  load  of  debt  which  it  had  incurred.  The  West 
did  not  escape  the  one,  nor  shun  its  share  of  the  other.  But  it 
claimed  that,  in  bearing  its  part  of  the  burden  of  taxation,  it  should 
be  put  at  least  upon  an  equality  with  the  more  favored  seaboard 
settlements.  A  disregard  of  this — perhaps  unintentional — was 
among  the  most  potent  of  the  provocations  to  that  great  social 
convulsion,  dignified  in  history  as  the  "  Western  Insurrection,^^ 
which,  at  the  close  of  the  decade  we  have  been  last  considering, 
''reared  its  miscreated  front  athwart"  the  paths  of  our  peace  and 
good  name.     As  a  distinct  deformity,  when  traced  to  its  parentage, 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  3S! 

it  will  be  found  to  be  an  offspring  of  Debt  and  Whiskey,  then, 

as  now, 

" the  direful  springs 

Of  woes  unnumbered ;" 


but  as  to  the  principles,  or,  if  you  please,  the  prejudices,  which 
engendered  it,  it  will  be  found,  though  not  to  be  justified  in  its 
vagaries  and  excesses,  yet  entitled,  if  not  to  commendation,  still  to 
some  palliation  for  the  spirit  in  which  it  originated.  For  in  its 
beginnings  it  was  a  gentle,  though  sometimes  dashing,  current  of 
opposition  to  a  most  unequal,  slavish,  and  oppressive  mode  of 
taxation.  That  in  the  end  it  became  a  roaring,  destructive  flood, 
was  owing  to  an  afflux  of  influences,  which  the  times  and  the 
temper  of  the  people  combmed  with  the  mistakes  of  the  govern- 
ment to  foment  and  swell. 

Excise,  as  a  specific  form  of  taxation,  is  one  that  is  levied  upon 
the  products  of  home  manufacture,  generally  at  the  places  where 
produced,  or  first  exposed  to  sale.  It  differs  from  impost  duty,  or  a 
tariff",  which  is  exclusively  upon  foreign  importations,  and  from  a 
direct  tax,  which  is  upon«landed  property.  From  the  very  nature 
of  an  excise  tax  it  demands  for  its  levy  and  collection  a  systematized 
espionage  upon  the  industries  of  the  people  from  whom  it  is  to  be 
drawn.  In  every  country  where  it  has  ever  been  resorted  to  it  has 
had  a  demoralizing  influence,  always  conducing  to  either  resistance 
or  evasion,  of  which  the  course  of  events  in  our  own  country  now 
affords  humiliating  proofs.  To  resist  or  elude  it  is  one  of  the 
hereditary  prerogatives  of  an  Irishman,  be  he  Protestant  or 
Catholic.  To  kill  an  exciseman  has  been  reckoned  an  ample 
expiation  for  a  multitude  of  sins.  By  every  native  of  the  Emerald 
Isle  it  is  regarded  as  the  most  humiliating  badge  of  subjection  which 
England  has  ever  imposed,  and  if  the  parents  have  nothing  else  to 
transmit  to  their  posterity,  they  bequeath  to  them,  unto  the  third 
and  fourth  generation,  a  hatred  of  excise  laws,  and  of  all  who  make 
or  enforce  them.     Nor  was  it  much  better  in  Scotland.* 

•  Barns'  ready  genius  never  conceived  a  more  popular  song  than — 
"The  diel  cam'  fiddling  through  the  town, 
And  danced  awa'  wi'  the  Exciseman; 
And  ilka  wife  cries — '  Auld  Mahoon, 
1  wish  you  luck  o'  the  prize,  man  1 ' 


jj5  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

If  such  were  the  antipathies  to  excise  by  those  of  our  people  who 
were  of  Scotch  and  Irish  Hneage,  what  could  we  expect  of  those  of 
them  who  had  come  from  Virginia  and  Maryland,  and  their  descend- 
ants ?  These  had  never  taken  kindly  to  taxation  in  any  form ;  and 
neither  they  nor  their  ancestry  in  the  colonies  whence  they  came, 
had  ever  heard  of  excise,  except  in  the  tales  that  were  told  of  its 
extortions  and  evasions.  That  it  had  ever  been  a  Pennsylvania 
measure  was  enough  to  condemn  it  in  their  estimation.  Our  scat- 
tered German  settlements  regarded  it  as  a  rather  searching  mode  of 
impairing  their  thrift  and  lusty  convivialties ;  while  our  ia^  Quaker 
friends,  though  non-resistants,  were  not  unwilling  to  be  conformists 
to  the  popular  feeling.  So  that  taking  Western  Pennsylvania  as  a 
whole,  the  attempt  to  erect  upon  it  an  excise  system  was  like  setting 
up  a  column  on  the  side  of  a  volcano.  Sooner  or  later  an  eruption 
must  come,  and  the  structure  topple  and  fall. 

After  the  long,  and  I  fear  fatiguing,  rambles  through  which  I  have 
been  leading  you,  and  when  they  ought  to  be  coming  to  a  speedy  close, 
a  full  narration  of  the  immediate  causes,  the  events  and  the  conse- 
quences, of  this  once-renowned  insurrection,  will  be  neither  expected 
nor  attempted.  All  who  in  any  way  participated  in  it  have  passed 
away  beyond  the  reach  of  human  censure  or  applause,  and  were  glad, 
while  they  lived,  to  have  it  forgotten.  Respect  for  their  memories 
would  seem  to  require  that  it  be  allowed  to  rest  undisturbed,  under 
the  cover  of  oblivion  which  time  has  spread  over  it.  Many  of 
them  were,  perhaps,  conscious  of  having  done  some  wrong  without 
knowing  why  they  did  so.  Others,  and  they  the  greater  number, 
who  had  no  such  compunctions,  were  unable,  had  they  attempted 
it,  to  rescue  themselves  from  the  load  of  indiscriminate  opprobrium 
which  was  cast  upon  them  from  distant  and  high  places.     They  liad 


'*  We'll  mak  our  raaut,  we'll  brew  our  drink, 
We'll  dance  and  sing,  and  rejoice,  man  ; 
And  mony  braw  thanks  to  the  ineikle  black  diel 
That  danced  awa'  wi'  the  Exciseman." 

And  yet,  at  the  very  time  the  poor  fellow  composed  this  snatch,  he  was 
being  compelled  to  play  Exciseman,  to  eke  out  a  subsistence  for  his 
family  at  £50  a  year ;  consoling  himself  for  the  degradation  by  saying, 
••  I  would  much  rather  have  it  said  that  my  profession  borrowed  credit 
trora  nie,  than  that  I  borrowed  credit  from  my  profession." 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  ^59 

been  borne  into  it  and  through  it,  on  a  resistless  current,  which 
sprang  not  from  any  purpose  to  sever  the  Union,  or  defy  its  govern- 
ment, nor  yet  from  the  mere  odium  of  a  name,  but  from  substantial 
injustice  and  oppression.  They  had  met  and  expressed  their  oppo- 
sition to  the  law,  and  sent  petitions  for  its  repeal.  Their  petitions 
were  unheeded,  their  meetings  denounced  as  treasonable.  Obnox- 
ious men  were  set  over  them  to  assess  and  collect  the  tax,  and 
because  a  few  of  the  baser  sort  maltreated  them,  the  whole  commu- 
nity, even  our  magistrates  and  ministers,  were  stigmatized  by  high 
officials  as  aiding  and  abetting  the  violence.  For  the  persistent  and 
judicious  efforts  by  many  of  the  best  of  the  people  to  calm  the  rage 
of  the  flood,  and  hush  its  roar,  they  were  branded  as  accessories  to 
its  fury.  And  when  they  had  almost  succeeded — when  the  waters 
had  assuaged,  and  the  dove  was  on  her  way  with  the  olive-leaf  of 
peace,  an  army  greater  than  had  fought  the  fiercest  battles  of  the 
Revolution  was  marched  out,  and  after  staying  a  few  days,  and  find- 
ing that  "  order  reigned  in  Warsaw,"  they  marched  home  again, 
taking  with  them  as  criminals — not  the  leaders  of  the  tumult,  for  they 
had  nearly  all  escaped — but  many  of  the  very  men  who  had  labored 
the  wisest,  if  not  the  noisiest,  to  sustain  the  government  which 
accused  them,  driven  like  cattle  through  mud  and  cold  to  Philadel- 
phia, and  paraded  through  its  streets  with  ignominious  badges  upon 
their  hats,  imprisoned,  then  discharged,  or  tried  and  acquitted. 
And  because  the  distillers  at  length  got  protection,  and  a  favoring 
conjuncture  of  events — the  subjugation  of  the  Indians  by  Wayne's 
legions,  and  the  opening  and  security  of  the  navigation  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi— brought  relief,  all  these  things  were  used  as  proofs  that 
their  resistance  had  been  rebellion,  and  their  complaints  groundless. 
Those  who  did  undertake  to  narrate  the  "  incidents  "  of  the  commo- 
tion, or  write  its  "  history,"  were  themselves  deeply  implicated ; 
and  what  they  wrote  was  less  to  vindicate  the  people  than  to  excul- 
pate themselves  and  abuse  their  political  opponents.  These  ques- 
tionable forms  of  defence  were  confronted  by  seemingly  calm,  elabo- 
rate, and  ingeniously  constructed  State  papers,  penned  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury,  upon  partizan  views,  and  partizan,  often  illusive, 
testimony ;  and  from  these  our  standard  histories  have  been  com- 
posed ;  and  at  least  one  generation  of  the  men  and  women  of  **  the 
four  counties"  held  up  to  the  world  as  having  been  so  frenzied  by 


SOo  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTEMNiAL    CONVENTION. 

the  love  of  whiskey  as  to  become  "  regardless  of  social  duty,  and 
fatally  bent  upon  mischief,"  fanatics,  and  traitors.* 

It  is  not  for  me  to  undertake  here  and  now  to  relieve  an  impor- 
tant period  of  our  early  history  from  this  incubus  of  obloquy.  But 
as  at  least  a  minor  object  of  this  Convention  is  to  set  the  fathers  and 
founders  of  Western  Pennsylvania  in  their  true  positions,  social  and 
political  as  well  as  in  others,  some  memorial  of  how  they  stood  in 
that  one  which  was  the  most  anomalous,  and  has  been  most  misre- 
presented of  any  that  they  had  to  occupy,  will  not  be  inappropriate 
to  the  occasion.  For  if  they  were  bad  citizens  they  could  not  have 
been  good  men. 

A  credulous  reading  of  current  histories,  and  of  more  or  less 
ephemeral  publications  based  upon  them,  had  led  me  to  beiieve  that 
in  this  most  extraordinary  social  convulsion  the  people  were  wholly 
wrong  and  the  government  wholly  right.  A  more  careful  study  of 
it,  in  the  light  of  antecedent,  as  well  as  of  cotemporaneous  collate- . 
ral  events,  and  of  original  documents,  has  convinced  me  that  there 
were  wrongs  on  both  sides,  consequential  and  transient  on  the  one 
side,  causal  and  persistent  on  the  other.  That  the  Acts  of  Congress 
which  developed  it,  the  warnings  which  attended  its  progress,  and 
the  measures  which  consummated  its  suppression,  had  the  sanction 
of  Washington's  great  name,  are  enough  alone  to  make  any  right- 
minded  man  pause  in  questioning  their  perfect  propriety.  But  all 
that   he   did   was  done  as  official   duty.     He  approved  the  laws 


*  It  will  be  understood  that  the  references  in  this  paragraph  are  to  the 
publications  by  the  Messrs.  Brackenridge — father  and  son,  William 
Findley,  and  Albert  Gallatin,  on  the  one  side  ;  and  to  the  Reports  of 
Alexander  Hamilton,  Marshall's  Life  of  Washington,  and  Hildreth's 
History  of  the  United  States,  to  which  should  be  added  Mr.  Neville  B. 
Craig's  publications,  on  the  other  side.  Much  the  fairest,  though  not 
the  fullest,  of  all  the  publications  I  have  seen,  is  a  paper  read  before  the 
New  Jersey  Historical  Society  (published  in  its  Proceedings,  Vol.  VI., 
120),  by  tlie  late  Rev.  Dr.  Carnahan,  President  of  the  College  at  Prince- 
ton. Being  a  native  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  an  ear  and  eyewitness 
of  many  of  the  occurrences  of  the  "Insurrection,"  his  statements  are 
reliable,  and  his  views  impartial.  I  am  glad  to  be  able,  generally  and 
in  the  main,  to  concur  with  him.  Important  disclosures  from  records, 
find  many  right  deductions  from  them,  have  been  made  by  Mr.  Town- 
send  Ward,  formerly  Librarian  of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society, 
in  a  paper  read  before  it,  published  in  its  Memoirs,  Vol.  VI.,  119. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  jOr 

because  the  Congress  had  passed  them  and  the  Constitution  authorized 
them;  he  warned  the  transgressors  because  the  law  made  it  his  duty 
to  warn  them ;  and  he  hurled  the  power  of  the  Government  upon 
them  because  it  was  one  of  the  sworn  duties  of  his  high  office  to 
"  take  care  that  the  law  be  faithfully  executed."  There  is  some 
evidence  in  his  writings*  that  he  questioned  the  expediency  of  an 
Excise  law,  because,  as  ciiiimed  by  its  opposers,  it  was  "of  odious 
character  with  the  people,  partial  in  its  operations,  unproductive, 
unless  enforced  by  arbitrary  and  vexatious  means,  and  committing 
the  authority  of  the  Government  in  parts  where  resistance  is  most 
probable,  and  coercion  least  practicable."  No  language  could 
better  than  this  depict  it  in  its  bearings  upon  Southwestern  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1792.  That  the  President  dealt,  in  the  end,  surpassing 
clemency  to  its  transgressors,  is  further  proof  that  he  did  not  deem 
their  sin  very  heinous. 

That  it  was  "of  odious  character  with  the  people"  is  already 
abundantly  obvious,  especially  with  those  who  have  Scotch  or  Irish 
blood  in  their,  veins.  Even  in  England,  whence  we  imported  it, 
Dr.  Johnson,  the  prince  of  Tory  lexicographers,  defines  it  to  be  "  a 
hateful  tax."  Sir  William  Blackstone,  no  great  stickler  for  liberal 
laws,  writes  of  it  in  his  Commentaries  as  "odious,"  and  "hardly 
campatible  with  the  temper  of  a  free  nation."  A  higher  authority 
than  these,  with  all  true  Americans,  was  the  Continental  Congress 
of  1774,  which  denounced  it  as  the  "  horror  of  all  free  States — the 
most  odious  of  taxes." 

That  an  excise  system,  at  the  period  to  which  we  refer,  must 
needs  be  "  unequal  in  its  operation,"  is  no  less  obvious  tlian  its 
inherently  odious  character.  Especially  was  this  true  as  to  Pemi- 
sylvania.  As  in  the  times  of  the  New  State  agitation,  it  held  a 
peculiar  position,  so  now.  Up  until  near  the  close  of  the  last  cen- 
tury it  was  the  only  State  that  had  any  surplus  grain-producing  terri- 
tory west  of  the  mountains.  Kentucky,  Western  Virginia,  and  the 
Northwest  Territory  formed  no  exceptions ;   they  were  consumers 

*  The  President's  Proclamation  of  September  15,  1792,  wiiicli  wsis 
drafted  by  Secretary  Hamilton,  had  in  it,  that  the  Excise  laws  were 
*^  dictated  by  weighty  reasons  of  public  exigency  and  policy."  The  Presi- 
dent struck  that  out.  See  the  Proclamation,  etc.,  in  Sparks'  Washing- 
ton, X.,  532,  and  53U,  250. 


^2  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 


rather  than  producers.  This  region  of  country  was  specially 
adapted  to  the  production  of  grains.  Indeed  it  produced  nothing 
else  that  was  marketable,  except  beeswax,  ginseng,  and  snake  root. 
Spirits — whiskey  and  brandies — were  the  distillates  of  grains,  apples, 
and  peaches.  They  could  have  no  commercial  value  without  remu- 
nerative access  to  the  marts  of  trade  and  commerce,  and  of  these 
we  had  none.  Almost  impassible  mountain  barriers  shut  us  off 
from  the  eastern  markets.  Freights,  whether  by  wagon  or  pack- 
horse,  rated  at  from  five  to  ten  dollars  per  hundred  pounds.  To 
"go  west"  with  any  of  our  surplus  products  was  so  perilous  by 
reason  of  the  Indians,  and  so  precarious  by  reason  of  the  uncer- 
tainties of  sale,  as  to  be  tantamount  to  the  hazards  of  a  lottery  j 
or  if  run  to  the  Spanish  possessions  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  liable  to 
loss  on  the  way,  or  confiscation  if  reached.  Assuredly  the  people  of 
Western  Pennsylvania  were  not  fit  subjects  for  an  excise  law. 

The  Federal  Constitution  requires  that  "all  duties,  imposts,  and 
excises  shall  be  uniform  throughout  the  United  States ;"  but  it  does 
not  require  them  to  be  specific,  that  is,  a  uniform  rate  upon  the 
taxable  article,  irrespective  of  its  relative  value.  Direct  taxes,  and, 
to  a  large  extent,  imposts,  are  not  so  levied.  Unfortunately  for  the 
fairness  and  justice  of  the  tax  we  are  about  to  consider,  it  was  made 
to  be  specific  in  its  most  objectionable  form,  thereby  not  only 
giving  to  it  an  odious  name  and  mode  of  collection,  but  excluding 
any  equity  of  apportionment,  according  to  the  relative  values  of 
distilled  spirits  as  between  one  part  of  the  country  and  another. 
Improved  land  in  Westmoreland  could  be  assessed  at  five 
dollars  per  acre,  in  Lancaster  at  fifty,  and  a  per  centage  of 
taxation  be  just  and  fair.  But  a  tax  of  seven  cents  per 
gallon  on  whiskey  made  in  Chartiers  was  one-fourth  of  its  value, 
while  if  made  on  the  Brandywine  it  was  perhaps  less  than  an 
eighth.  There  it  was  a  product  of  profit,  here  of  necessity.  It 
was  almost  the  only  form  of  surplus  product  we  had  which  could  be 
pack-horsed  across  the  mountains,  and  with  it  or  its  proceeds 
procure  iron,  salt,  powder,  and  lead,  and  the  other  necessaries 
of  life  and  agriculture.  And  when  salt  was  five  dollars  per  bushel, 
and  iron  and  steel  from  twenty  to  thirty  cents  per  pound,  a  ioyj 
kegs  of  whiskey  was  a  treasure.  To  impair  it  was  assailing  the  very 
vitals  of  our  being  ;  for  Shylock  reasoned  well — 


THE   SECULAR  HISTORY.  363 


You  take  my  life 


When  you  do  take  the  means  whereby  I  live." 

As  for  money  we  had  no  other  resort  than  what  was  picked  up 
from  emigrants  to  the  further  west,  or  saved  from  the  proceeds  of  a 
venture  to  CarUsle,  or  Winchester,  or  New  Orleans ;  and  for  all 
this,  and  more  if  they  could  have  gotten  it,  our  people  had 
inexorable  demands.  As  to  Western  Pennsylvania,  therefore,  in 
its  isolated,  necessitous  condition,  the  excise  was  clearly  partial, 
unequal,  and  inequitable  ;  for  "  equality  is  equity,"  and  there  could 
be  no  equality  between  it  and  any  other  whiskey-producing  com- 
munity in  the  nation. 

In  primitive  times  in  this  country,  when  coin  was  almost 
unknown  and  paper  money  valueless,  whatever  was  most  abundant, 
if  portable  and  not  perishable,  and  ultimately  convertible  into 
cash,  became  the  standard  of  value  —  the  currency  of  the  com- 
munity; just  as  in  the  Indian  trade  it  was  ten  buck-skins  for  a 
match-coat,  five  doe-skins  for  a  calico  shirt,  or  three  fawn-skins  for 
a  pound  of  lead.  So  it  was  in  our  early  settlements — five  pounds 
of  ginseng  for  a  wool  hat,  ten  of  beeswax  for  a  straw  bonnet,  three 
gallons  of  whiskey  or  applejack  Tor  a  quarter  of  tea.  A  hundred 
gallon  copper  still  would  buy  a  good  farm,  two  barrels  of  whiskey 
a  corner  lot,  a  five-gallon  keg  for  a  pound  of  powder,  five  barrels 
for  a  tifl^  gun.  To  tax  it,  therefore,  was  adding  twenty-five  per 
cent,  to  these  prices.  Moreover,  men  could  not  see  any  more 
justice  in  taxing  their  grain  in  the  shape  of  whiskey  than  if  in  flour 
or  meal.  A  still-house  was  just  as  much  a  necessity  as  a  mill.  The 
consequence  of  this  state  of  things  was,  that  distilleries  were  dotted 
all  over  the  country.  I  think  I  have  seen  it  stated  that  there  was  at 
one  time,  in  all  the  four  western  counties,  five  hundred  and  seventy- 
two.  In  some  neighborhoods  every  fifth  or  sixth  farmer  was  a 
distiller,  who,  during  the  winter  seasons,  manufactured  his  own  and 
his  neighbors'  surplus  grain  into  whiskey,  "  on  the  shares,"  so  much 
whiskey  returned  for  a  given  quantity  of  grain  or  rye-meal  supplied. 
But  then  they  were  small  concerns,  sometimes  of  one  little  still,  but 
oftener  of  two,  one  for  singlings,  the  other  for  doubling  ;  hundreds  of 
them  not  making  as  much  in  a  season  as  is  now  made  by  one  of  our 
modern  mammoth  distilleries.  But  then  they  made  a  better  article. 
It  was  not,  as  now,  made  to  kill.     It  established  a  name  and  a 


364  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

reputation  for  the  commodity,  which  it  will  perhaps  never  lose, 
whether  made  on  the  Monongahela  or  the  Wabash.  Often  the 
stills  were  set  up  in  the  cellar  of  the  house  in  which  the  family 
resided,  or  in  some  contiguous  out-house,  the  same  spring  supplying 
the  milk-house  and  the  worm-tub  ;  and  the  kegs  and  barrels  stored 
away  under  the  porch,  in  a  cave,  or  in  the  spring-house,  with  the 
cider  and  vinegar,  or  cream  crocks,  as  convenience  demanded.  To 
have  a  gauger  smelling  and  spiering  round  among  these  with 
his  rod  and  note-book,  was  rather  more  than  a  Scotch-Irish  woman 
could  stand,  whether  by  day  or  by  night. 

As  a  luxury  in  drink,  our  Eastern  friends  could  have  their  wines, 
which  were  unknown  here,  except  for  sacred  use,  and  then  not 
always  to, be  had.*  Our  whiskey,  either  "  straight  "  or  with  maple 
sugar,  tansy,  and  mint,  or  as  decoctions  of  herbs  and  barks  and 
roots,  was  esteemed  a  cure  ''  for  all  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to." 
It  was  the  indispensible  emblem  of  hospitality,  and  accompaniment 
of  labor  in  every  pursuit ;  the  stimulant  in  joy,  the  solace  in  grief. 
It  was  kept  on  the  counter  of  every  store,  in  the  corner  cupboard  of 
every  well-to-do  family.  It  was  bitters  in  the  morning,  an  appeti- 
zer at  noon,  a  night-cap  at  nigKt.  The  minister  took  it  before 
going  to  church  and  after  he  came  back.  At  home  and  abroad,  at 
coming  and  going,  at  marryings  and  buryings,  at  house-raisings  and 
log  rollings,  at  harvestings  and  huskings,  in  the  varying  forms  of 
drams,  egg-nogg,  apple-toddy,  and  punch,  hot  and  cold,  it  was  the 
omnipresent  beverage  of  old  and  young,  men  and  women ;  and  he 
was  a  churl  who  stinted  it.  To  deny  it  altogether  required  more 
grace  or  niggardliness  than  most  men  could  command,  at  least  for 
daily  use. 

And  yet  our  forefathers  were  not  drunkards.  Ordinarily  they 
had  not  time  to  get  drunk,  and  constant  bodily  exercise  and 
"  homely  fare "  neutralized    the    intoxicating   virus.     Except  on 


*"I  have  been  asked  by  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  some  of  his 
people,  to  request  you  to  spare  one  gallon  of  wine  for  the  use  of  a  Sacra- 
ment. If  it  is  in  your  power  to  supply  them  with  this  article,  I  have  no 
doubt  you  will  do  it,  as  it  cannot  be  obtained  in  any  other  place  in  this 
country.  Mr.  Douglas,  or  the  bearer,  will  apply  for  it."  MS.  Letter, 
Col.  James  Marshall  to  General  William  Irvine,  Pittsburgh,  dated 
Washington  County,  29th  May,  1782. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY. 


special  occasions,  a  drunken  man  was  as  rare  as  a  spotted  horse. 
Laboring  men — and  everybody,  even  the  minister  and  the  lawyer, 
labored  in  the  olden  time — ^lived  out  their  three  score  and  ten,  and 
took  their  drinks  as  regularly  as  their  meals.  True,  there  were 
topers  who  were  always  drunk,  and  did  nothing  else.  They  were 
loathed  and  despised.  There  were  no  saloons  and  sample-rooms  in 
those  days  ;  and  taverns  were  not  the  resorts  of  the  neighbors  except 
to  hear  the  news  of  the  day,  which  it  was  the  business  of  the  land- 
lord to  deal  out  along  with  a  half-pint  of  his  best,  for  two  and  six- 
pence, according  to  the  court  rates.  If  these  habits  were  wrong,  an 
excise  law  was  not  their  corrective.  "  Canst  thou  draw  out  Levia- 
than with  a  hook?" 

Nor  were  they  laggard  or  obstinate  in  the  pajTnent  of  all  the 
ordinary  taxes  assessed  upon  them.  Indeed,  they  were  commend- 
ably  prompt  in  this  respect,  more  so  than  were  the  people  in  many 
of  the  Eastern  counties.*  And  taxes  were  by  no  means  light  in 
those  times.  Not  only  had  the  county  and  township  taxes  to  be 
met,  but  the  United  States,  having  no  source  of  revenue  under  their 
control,  were  dependent  upon  loans  at  home  and  abroad,  upon  their 
paper  promises,  known  as  continental  money,  and,  in  large  measure, 
upon  quotas,  as  they  were  called,  apportioned  among  the  States,  and 
by  the  States  among  the  counties.  This  was  levied  chiefly  as  di  direct 
tax,  which,  of  course,  could  be  adjusted  according  to  valuations.  In 
this  respect,  therefore,  there  was  no  lack  of  loyalty  to  either  the 
State  or  the  nation.  In  resisting  the  excise  tax  they  struck  for 
principles,  not  amounts. 

These  are  general  views  of  the  situation.  Under  whatever  of  light 
they  afford,  let  us  look  more  closely  at  some  of  the  specific  grievances, 

*  "  Comptroller  General's  Office, 
September  9,  1786. 
«'  Sir  :  The  honorable  situation  in  which  the  county  of  Fayette  is 
placed  by  the  punctual  discharge  of  her  taxes,  reflects  high  credit  upon 
the  oflElcers  employed  in  the  laying,  collecting,  and  paying  the  same,  as 
well  as  upon  the  county  at  large.  May  you  long  continue.  Your  exam- 
ple will  have  a  good  influence  upon  others.  The  bearer  is  riding  the 
State  for  money,  but  from  you  we  ask  none.    You  have  anticipated  our 

demand.  I  am,  <fcc., 

••John  Nicholson. 
«•  Ephraim  Douglass,  Esq., 

Treas'r  Fayette  county." 


366  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

and   of  the   proximate   causes   and  immediate    occasions   of    the 
"  Insurrection." 

We  need  have  no  detailed  narrative  of  why  and  how  it  was  that 
Pennsylvania  had  excise  laws.  It  is  enough  here  to  know  that  we 
had  them,  and  that  we  stood  alone  in  this  respect  among  all  the 
neighboring  States.  Those  which  were  enacted  before  the  Revolu- 
tion no  otherwise  concern  us  than  in  the  trainings  to  aversion  and 
evasion  which  they  gave  to  many  of  our  early  settlers.  It  was  not 
until  it  became  incumbent  to  provide  for  the  debts  which  the  war 
had  incurred,  that  they  were  extended  to  the  western  counties.  But 
finding  them  obnoxious  and  likely  to  revive  the  late  disaffection, 
there  was  no  attempt  to  enforce  them. 

Efforts  were  made  to  collect  some  without  compulsion,  but  with 
very  discouraging  results.  They  brought  not  a  dollar  to  the  trea- 
sury ;  all  that  was  obtained  by  compoundings  and  extortion  having 
been  appropriated  by  the  collectors  for  their  compensation.  The 
trouble  was  to  get  honest  and  efficient  collectors.  Some  who  were 
honest,  after  repeated  trials  and  troubles,  gave  it  up,  resigned  or 
absconded.  We  had  plenty  of  good  and  competent  men,  but  no 
inducement  was  strong  enough  to  overcome  their  abhorrence  of  the 
service.  The  whole  excise  system  became  a  mere  slumbering  mon- 
ster, to  be  watched  and  shunned. 

The  immunity  thus  enjoyed  by  the  western  counties  gave  a  pre- 
text to  those  of  the  east  to  grumble  and  hold  back.  This  excited 
the  Executive  Council  of  the  State  to  try  us  again.  In  1785  they 
sent  out,  as  collector  of  the  three  counties,  a  broken  down  Philadel- 
phia Market  Street  tavern-keeper,  by  the  name  of  Graham.  He 
collected  some  in  Fayette  without  any  obstacle.  He  then  went  to 
Westmoreland  and  got  a  little  there.  But,  in  the  darkness  of  night, 
at  his  hotel,  he  was  called  to  the  door  of  his  room  by  a  man  in 
disguise,  who  told  him  he  was  Beelzebub,  and  had  called  for  him  to 
hand  him  over  for  torment  to  a  legion  of  devils  who  were  in  waiting 
without.  He  managed,  with  assistance,  to  escape  their  clutches ; 
and  thinking  he  had  found  the  fiend  in  a  man  of  the  town,  he  prose- 
cuted him,  but  the  man  proved  an  alibi.  Whereupon  the  discom- 
fited exciseman,  fearing  that  some  other  deil  might  "dance  awa'  '* 
with  him,  fled  with  all  convenient  speed  into  what  he  was  told  was 
the  more  sober  and  submissive  county  of  Washington,  then  covering 


THE  SECULAR  HISTOKY.  '^JJ 

all  west  of  the  Monongahela.  There  he  fared  worse  than  at  Greens- 
burgh.  His  treatment  is  described  so  graphically,  and  in  terms  so 
apropos  to  our  purpose,  by  Dorsey  Pentecost,  in  a  letter  to  the 
State  Executive  Council,  dated  April  i6,  1786,  that  I  cannot  do 
better  than  copy  from  it : 

"His  pistols,  which  he  carried  before  him,  were  taken  and 
broken  to  pieces  in  his  presence ;  his  commission  and  all  his  papers 
torn  and  thrown  in  the  mud,  and  he  forced  to  stamp  on  them,  and 
imprecate  curses  on  himself,  on  his  commission,  and  on  the  authority 
that  gave  it  to  him.  They  then  cut  off  half  his  hair,  cued  the  other 
half  on  one  side  of  his  head,  cut  off  the  cock  of  his  hat,  and  made 
him  wear  it  in  a  form  to  render  his  cue  the  more  conspicuous. 
This,  with  many  other  marks  of  ignomy,  they  imposed  upon  him  [and 
his  horse],  and  in  that  plight  marched  him,  amidst  a  crowd,  from  the 
frontiers  of  this  county  to  Westmoreland,  calling  at  all  the  still- 
houses  on  the  way,  where  they  were  treated  gratis,  exposing  him  to 
every  insult  and  mockery  that  their  invention  could  contrive.  They 
set  him  at  liberty  at  the  entrance  of  Westmoreland  county,  but  with 
threats  of  utter  ^feso/utton  should  he  dare  to  return  to  our  county."* 

The  locality  of  this  precedent  for  other  similar  outrages  upon  excise- 
men, in  after  years,  is  said  to  have  been  out  here  in  the  good  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterian  neighborhood  of  Cross  Creek,  the  home  of  Col. 
James  Marshall  and  James  Edgar,  which  may  account  for  the  fiery 
zeal  of  Pentecost  to  emblazon  it,  and  invoke  the  "most  severe 
punishment"  on  the  offenders.  Graham  never  returned,  except  to 
institute  a  prosecution  for  riot  against  twelve  of  the  "banditti"  in 
the  court  at  Washington,  of  which  they  were,  in  due  time,  convicted, 
but  afterwards  pardoned  so  far  as  to  remit  the  fines  imposed.  If  I 
mistake  not,  one  of  these  offenders — meritoriously,  I  presume — rose, 
in  after  years,  to  high  places  in  Washington  county,  representing  it 
in  the  Assembly,  and  eventually  in  Congress.f  The  excise  officers 
were  beginning  to  fare  not  much  better  in  other  parts  of  the  State, 
when,  by  the  organization  of  the  Federal  Government  in  1789-90, 
it  was  kindly  (?)  taken  off  our  hands,  whereupon  the  law  was 
repealed. 

*  Pennsylvania  Archives,  X.,  757. 

t  Colonial  Records,  XVI.,  24,  and  Creigh's  History  of  Washington 
County,  78. 


3CS  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

Excise  was  a  favorite  financial  measure  with  Alexander  Hamilton, 
whom  President  Washington  called  to  the  head  of  the  Treasury- 
Department.  He  was  a  bold,  ambitious,  and  able  man,  but  per- 
haps cared  more-  for  the  success  of  his  measures  in  Congress  than 
with  the  people.  Washington  had  great  confidence  in  him,  and 
justly,  for  perhaps,  at  that  vital  juncture,  there  was  no  other  man  in 
the  nation  who  could  so  resolutely  and  so  well  have  reduced  our 
confused  and  crippled  financial  condition  to  order  and  activity. 
Like  the  great  Earl  of  Chatham,  he  touched  the  corpse  of  public 
credit  and  it  rose  in  health  and  vigor.  But  then  he  burdened  it  too 
heavily,  and  was  too  anxious  for  a  hasty  display  of  its  restoration. 
Had  he  withheld  any  scheme  of  domestic  excise  until  the  equili- 
brium of  the  country  in  the  relations  of  its  diverse  parts  had  been 
better  established,  and  the  people  become  inured  to  the  workings 
of  a  stronger  government  than  they  had  been  accustomed  to,  all  his 
measures,  this  one  especially,  would  have  fared  better,  the  peace  of 
the  country  been  maintained,  and  the  party,  of  which  he  was  then 
the  acknowledged  head,  had  a  longer  supremacy.  But  he  rushed 
boldly  on,  impelled  to  a  more  heady  movement  by  the  antagonisms 
he  had  to  encounter,  which  were  controlled  by  his  hated  rival,  Mr. 
Jefferson,  and  fostered  by  the  phrenzy  which  revolutionary  France, 
on  the  one  hand,  and  stubborn  England  on  the  other,  combined  to 
diffuse  in  angry  clouds  all  over  the  country. 

A  bill  which  provided  for  the  collection  of  revenue  from  domestic 
distilled  spirits  was  introduced  into  the  Second  Session  of  the  First 
Congress,  which  sat  at  New  York  in  1790.  It  led  to  long,  earnest, 
and  angry  discussion ;  and  failing  then  of  enactment,  was  adjourned 
to  the  Third  Session  of  that  Congress,  which  sat  at  Philadelphia  in 
1 791.  Before  this  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  had  unwittingly 
repealed  her  direct  tax,  leaving  her  excise  law  unrepealed  a  little 
longer  on  her  statute  book,  though  virtually  repealed  by  the 
inability  to  enforce  it,  and  by  its  supercedure  under  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States. 

The  Excise  Act  of  Congress  became  a  law  on  the  third  of  March, 
1 791.  While  pending,  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  took  the 
alarm;  and,  in  January,  1791,  passed  a  series  of  resolutions,  con- 
demning an  excise  law  on  domestic  products  as  "subversive  of 
peace,  liberty,  and  the  rights  of  the  citizens,"  and  sending  to  their 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  369 


senators  a  hope  (for  instructions  had  not  yet  come  in  vogue)  that 
they  would  oppose  every  part  of  the  bill  which  militated  against 
those  rights — for  the  bill  was  an  "  omnibus  "  revenue  bill,  of  sixty- 
two  sections,  relating  as  well  to  "distilled  spirits  imported  from 
abroad"  as  to  "spirits  distilled  within  the  United  States,  and 
appropriating  the  same'' — one  of  the  earliest  precedents  for  joining 
incongruous  subjects  in  the  same  law.  But  for  this,  and  for  the 
commendable  and  needy  objects  to  which  the  expected  revenues 
were  devoted,  including  the  war  debts  of  the  States  which  Congress 
had  assumed,  it  is  believed  it  could  not  have  commanded  a  majority 
of  votes  in  either  House,  or  the  approval  of  the  President.  But  it 
passed,  and  was  approved ;  and,  of  course,  had  to  be  enforced — 
if  it  could  be — in  all  its  heterogeneous  provisions,  and  in  all  places 
of  the  country. 

To  comprehend  the  forms  and  growth  of  the  convulsions  it  pro- 
voked, we  must  first  take  in  such  of  the  provisions  as  shaped  them. 
Including  some  modifications  in  1792,  they  are  the  following: 

That  the  United  States  should  be  divided  into  fourteen  districts,. 
each  under  the  control  of  a  supervisor — each  State  into  surveys, 
under  the  control,  each,  of  an  inspector  (the  four  western  counties, 
and  the  Somerset  part  of  Bedford,  were  the  fourth  Surveys  of 
Pennsylvania) — each  county  to  have  at  least  one  office  of  inspection 
— each  Survey  to  have  as  many  other  officers  as  the  President 
should  deem  it  advisable  to  employ,  or  the  supervisor  to  appoint,  for 
entering,  inspecting,  gauging,  watching,  etc.  Every  person  owning 
a  still,  whether  for  sale  or  use,  was  required,  in  the  month  of  June 
yearly,  or  if  procured  after  June,  by  purchase,  or  removal  into  the 
county,  then  within  thirty  days  thereafter,  under  the  penalty  of  one 
hundred  dollars  (increased  in  1792  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars), 
to  make  entry  of  his  still  or  stills,  and  of  what  he  intended  to  do  with 
them,  at  the  office  of  inspection  for  the  county ;  if  to  be  used  for 
distilling  (of  which,  having  it  set  up  in  stone,  brick  or  otherwise  so 
as  to  be  used,  was  made  evidence)  he  had  his  option  either  to  pay 
yearly  sixty  cents  (reduced  in  1792  to  fifty-four  cents,  or  ten  cents 
per  month)  per  gallon  of  the  capacity  of  the  still,  including  its  head, 
or  nine  cents  (reduced  in  1792  to  seven)  per  gallon  of  spirits 
distilled  and  of  sales  thereof,  of  which  the  distiller  was  to  render 
sworn  accounts  from  a  book  of  daily  entries.     If  the  still  exceeded 

V 


370  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

the  capacity  of  fifty  gallons,  and  the  place  to  be  used  was  within  ten 
miles  of  an  office,  the  distiller  was  bound,  under  another  penalty  of 
one  hundred  dollars,  and  forfeiture  of  liquor  and  casks,  within  three 
days  of  his  beginning  to  use  it,  to  make  a  particular  entry  in  writing 
of  every  house,  vault,  cellar,  or  apartment  in  which  he  intended  to 
carry  on  the  business,  or  keep  any  of  the  spirits  distilled ;  and  to 
have  distiller  of  spirits  written  or  painted  on  every  such  place 
of  distillation  or  deposit.  If,  when  the  act  went  into  effect,  any 
person,  who  had  previously  been  a  distiller,  had  any  liquor  on 
hand,  he  must  report  the  same  to  the  inspector,  and  have  the  casks 
containing  it  marked  old  stock,  which  he  was  not  allowed  to  keep 
on  hand  over  a  year,  unless  in  vessels  containing  at  least  two 
hundred  gallons  [poor  chance  for  old  whiskey].  Every  cask 
containing  twenty  gallons  or  upwards  (and  none  that  contained 
less)  must  be  gauged,  marked,  and,  when  sold  or  removed,  be 
accompanied  by  a  certificate  of  tax  paid — no  removals  between 
sunset  and  sunrise — and  gangers  to  have  access  at  all  times,  in  day- 
light, to  enter  the  places  "  entered  "  as  aforesaid,  and  "  by  tasting, 
gauging,  or  otherwise,^'  take  an  account,  and  samples  "at  the 
usual  price." 

The  entire  law  is  full  of  snares  and  pitfalls  to  entrap  the  unwary, 
and  bristles  all  over  with  forfeitures  and  penalties ;  but  as  an 
attempt  to  enforce  only  one  of  these — the  penalty  of  ^250  for  non- 
entry  of  stills,  &c.,  in  June — was  the  immediate  occasion  of  the 
resistance,  all  others  may  be  passed  by  without  further  notice. 

Soon  after  the  passage  of  the  Act  of  1791,  General  John  Neville 
was  appointed  Inspector  of  the  Survey.  That  he  was  honest  and 
capable  is  unquestioned ;  and  yet  a  more  unfortunate  appointment 
could  hardly  have  been  made.  His  friends  claim  that  he  was  sur- 
passingly kind  and  generous,  and  that  "if  any  man  could  have 
executed  this  odious  law  he  was  the  man."  His  enemies,  on  the 
other  hand,  assert  "  that  his  former  popularity  had  made  his  accept- 
ance of  that  office  particularly  offensive,"  and  that  he  was  "cun- 
ning, vindictive,  and  selfish."  The  solution  of  this  paradox  is,  that 
he  had  long  and  successfully  courted  popular  favor ;  was  elected  to 
the  State  Council  from  Washington  county  in  1783;  and  after- 
wards, from  that  county,  and  from  Allegheny,  to  the  Assembly,  of 
which    he   was  a  member    when    the   anti-excise    resolutions  of 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  37T 

January,  1791,  were  passed,  and  voted  for  them.  During  all  this 
period  he  was  an  open  opponent  of  the  State  excise  law,  and  had 
trained  the  people  to  believe  that  opposition  to  excise  was  a  virtue. 
It  was  certified,  and  so  far  as  appears,  was  not  denied,  that  he  not 
only  justified  the  maltreatment  of  Graham,  but  had  said  that  the 
"  old  rascal  should  have  liad  his  ears  cut  off."  And  when  remon- 
strated with  for  taking  an  office  so  offensive  to  his  old  friends  and 
the  people  generally,  he  spoke  of  them  derisively,  putting  their  favor 
low  down  in  comparison  with  the  value  to  him  of  the  emoluments 
of  the  office.  He  had,  moreover,  risen  to  great  wealth,  had  a 
"princely  estate,"  and  lived  in  a  manorial  mansion,  richly  fur- 
nished, and  surrounded  by  quarters  for  fifteen  or  twenty  negro  ser- 
vants. His  abrupt  change  of  front  on  the  excise  question  was,  of 
course,  attributed  to  selfish  motives,  and  a  willingness  to  lend  his 
high  social  and  political  influence  to  enforce  a  law  which  was  not 
only  odious,  but  which  he  had  denounced  as  "subversive  of  the 
peace,  liberty,  and  rights  of  the  citizens."  We  will  see  that  his 
relations  to  the  law  and  his  neighbors  were  the  immediate  provoca- 
tives of  the  violence  which  gave  to  the  resistance  the  character  of  an 
insurrection. 

The  law  was  not  put  in  force  in  the  western  counties  in  1791, 
because  of  no  office  of  inspection  having  been  opened  in  time,  and 
inability  to  find-  competent  men  for  subordinate  offices  under  it 
who  were  hardy  enough  to  brave  its  unpopularity.  The  only  one 
procured  was  Robert  Johnson,  a  tenant  of  Col.  Presley  Neville,  the 
inspector's  son.  In  September  he  was  caught  in  the  Pigeon  creek 
region,  in  Washington  county,  and  maltreated  somewhat  after  the 
formula  established  upon  Graham,  with  the  old  Tory  addition  of  a 
coat  of  tar  and  feathers.  Similar  acts  of  lawless  violence  were  per- 
petrated, in  quick  succession,  in  the  same  vicinity,  and  on  Mingo 
and  Peter's  creeks.  The  offenders  having  operated  in  disguise, 
stealthily,  and  in  the  night,  generally  eluded  detection  and  punish- 
ment. Now  was  the  time  for  the  Government  to  have  put  forth  its 
power.  Obsta  principiis — opp>ose  the  beginnings — shotted  cartridges 
at  first,  blank  ones  afterwards,  are  the  only  effectual  modes  of  sup- 
pressing mob  rule.  The  State  officers  did  all  they  could  to  ferret  out 
and  obtain  testimony  against  the  transgressors,  but  failed.  Until 
too  late  there  was  no  movement  in  that  direction  by  the  officers  of 


372  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


the  United  States,  and  when  they  did  move,  it  was  in  such  a  fitful, 
dastardly,  and  distrustful  manner  as  served  only  to  bring  their  efforts 
into  derision,  and  the  government  into  contempt.  Throughout  all 
the  troubles  there  was  a  persistent  determination,  on  the  part  of  the 
Federal  officers,  to  draw  into  the  United  States  Court  at  Philadelphia 
not  only  violations  of  the  excise  law,  but  every  riot,  arson,  and 
assault  and  battery  connected  with  it.*  Our  officers  of  justice  were 
not  only  slighted,  but  traduced.  Alexander  (Judge)  Addison  pre- 
sided over  all  the  courts  in  the  counties  of  the  survey.  He  was  the 
Sir  Mathew  Hale  of  his  day — 

" for  deep  discernment  praised, 

And  sound  integrity,  not  more  than  famed 
For  sanctity  of  manners  undetiled ;" 

and  every  associate  judge  and  sheriff  in  the  four  counties,  and  nearly 
all  the  justices  of  the  peace,  were  men  of  nerve  and  integrity.  If  not 
blatant  advocates  of  the  excise  law,  or  busy  detectives,  they  were 
friends  of  the  Government,  and  ready  at  all  times  to  sustain  it. 
Although  neither  they,  nor  jurors  generally,  could  uphold  the 
wisdom  and. justice  of  the  law,  they  never  failed,  even  in  the  most 
deeply  infected  counties,  to  arrest,  convict,  and  punish  offenders, 
upon  sufficient  evidence.  Yet  Mr.  Secretary  Hamilton,  in  his 
labored  report  of  August,  1794,-  upon  the  insurrection,  declared  it 
as  "a  truth  too  important  not  to  be  noticed,  and  too  injurious  not 
to  be  lamented,  that  the  prevailing  spirit  of  the  local  officers  in  the 
survey  has  been  either  hostile,  or  lukewarm  to  the  execution  of  the 
laws :  and  the  weight  of  an  unfriendly  official  influence  has  been  one 
of  the  most  serious  obstacles  with  which  they  have  had  to  struggle." 
And  George  Clymer,f  the  supervisor  of  the  district,  having,  in  the 

*  During  this  volcanic  period  Col.  James  Paull  was  sheriff  of  Fayette, 
than  whom  a  braver  and  truer  man  never  held  that  office  anywhere. 

He  was  a  decided  friend  of  the  Government.  Yet  because,  under  the 
advice  of  his  counsel,  he  declined  to  subject  himself  to  an  action  for 
false  imprisonment,  by  executing  a  defective  warrant  for  the  arrest  of 
some  of  his  neighbors  accused  of  being  concerned  in  one  of  the  attacks 
upon  the  house  of  Wells,  he  was  indicted  in  the  United  States  Court  at 
Philadelphia !  What  had  the  courts  of  the  United  States  to  do  with  the 
official  duties  of  sheriffs?    The  indictment  was  not  prosecuted. 

t  Grandfather  of  the  Hon.  ireister  Clymer,  of  Berks,  and  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.    He  had  more  nerve  then. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  ^3 

fall  of  1792,  come  out  to  Pittsburgh  as  a  detective,  got  scared,  pro- 
cured a  guard,  and  hurried  back  to  Philadelphia,  to  vent  his  abuse 
not  only  upon  our  civil  magistrates,  but  upon  our  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  and  have  his  adventures  commemorated  in  a  mock-heroic 
epic,  after  the  model  of  Trumbull's  McFingal. 

The  act  of  May,  1792,  made  some  slight  but  immaterial  changes 
on  the  law  of  1791.  It  lowered  the  rates  a  little,  and  allowed  dis- 
tillers to  take  and  pay  for  monthly  instead  of  yearly  licenses,  but 
raised  the  penalty  for  non-entry  from  $100  to  ;^25o.  It  also 
required  offices  of  inspection  and  entry  to  be  opened  and  maintained 
in  each  county,  and  that  entries  therein  of  stills,  buildings,  cellars, 
vaults,  &c.,  used,  or  intended  to  be,  in  the  manufacture  and  storage, 
should  be  made  yearly,  in  June,  and  only  then.  Without  much 
time  to  think  about  it,  many  distillers  complied  with  this  require- 
ment, wherever  they  had  opportunity,  by  the  establishment  of  offices. 
Others  hesitated  until  too  late ;  and  in  the  most  deeply  disaffected 
parts  of  the  country  many  were  deterred  from  compliance. 

The  inspector's  "Bower  Hill"  residence  was  in  Allegheny 
county,  some  eight  or  nine  miles  southwest  of  Pittsburgh,  near  the 
roads  to  Washington.  Very  unwisely,  for  the  dignity  of  his  office 
and  character,  and  the  sanctity  of  his  house,  he  made  it  an  "office 
of  inspection,"  with  sign  up.  Another  office  was  at  the  tenant 
house  of  Johnson,  on  an  adjoining  tract  of  land.  The  only  other 
office  in  the  survey,  prior  to  June,  1792,  was  at  the  residence 
of  Benjamin  Wells,  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Youghiogheny, 
opposite  Connellsville,  in  the  county  of  Fayette,  of  which  Wells, 
the  deputy,  or  collector  for  Fayette  and  Westmoreland,  was  the 
keeper.  All  efforts  during  that  year  to  get  places  for  offices  any- 
where in  the  counties  of  Washington  and  Westmoreland  were 
unsuccessful,  nor  was  any  attempted  for  the  Bedford  part  of  the 
survey.  A  Captain  Faulkner,  of  Wayne's  army,  then  recruiting  at 
Washington,  had,  in  August,  given  General  Neville  permission 
to  open  an  office  in  his  house ;  but  some  rowdies  on  Pigeon  creek  so 
frightened  the  Captain,  when  out  there  hunting  deserters,  that  he 
quickly  revoked  the  permission.  Wells  undertook,  in  June,  1792, 
to  have  a  kind  of  peripatetic  weekly  office  at  Greensburgh,  which  he 
soon  abandoned,  and  another  at  Uniontown ;  but  on  the  first 
appointment  there  he  did  not  appear,  and  on  the  next  got  fright- 


374  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

ened  and  hid  himself;  so  that  the  distillers  who  attended,  assuming 
that  he  did  not  mean  business,  went  home  and  gave  it  up. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  synopsis  of  the  laws  already  given,  that 
the  penalty  for  non-entry  of  stills,  etc.,  could  be  exacted  only 
in  case  an  office  was  kept  open  during  June  in  each  county.  Those 
who  conducted  the  early  campaigns  against  the  excise  were  good 
generals.  It  was  a  point  of  the  highest  strategic  importance  to 
prevent  the  establishment  of  offices  in  the  several  counties,  or,  if 
established,  to  suppress  them,  and  keep  them  so  during  all  the 
month  of  June.  This,  as  we  have  seen,  was  effectually  accom- 
plished at  the  outset  in  Washington  county,  which,  as  Secretary 
Hamilton  reported,  "  has  uniformly  distinguished  its  resistance  by  a 
more  excessive  spirit  than  has  appeared  in  the  other  counties,  and 
seems  to  have  been  chiefly  instrumental  in  kindling  and  keeping 
alive  the  flame."  It  certainly  established  the  precedent  upon  a 
pretty  firm  basis.  That  no  attempt  was  made  in  1792  to  suppress 
any  other  of  General  Neville's  offices  is  some  evidence  that  the 
people  of  his  vicinage  were  trying  to  preserve  their  former  respect 
for  him,  and  that  the  resistance  was  progressive  ;  while,  as  to  Wells, 
he  seems  to  have  been  frightened  into  inactivity  after  his  failures  at 
Uniontown.  For  a  while  all  was  quiet  in  all  parts  of  the  survey. 
Many  distillers  within  the  lawful  range  of  the  established  offices 
had  entered  their  stills,  especially  those  of  the  largest  capacity, 
who  were  rather  anxious  that  the  smaller  ones — those  who  distilled 
"on  the  shares" — should  be  induced  not  to  enter,  and  quit  the 
business,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  monopolize  it.     Many  did  quit. 

The  time  for  entries  for  1 793  was  coming  round.  This  thing  of  hav- 
ing no  offices  in  the  two  largest  and  most  populous  counties  of  the  sur- 
vey was  discouraging  to  the  secretary  and  supervisor,  and  encouraged 
to  further  resistance  by  the  people  and  distillers  of  the  two  lesser 
counties.  Perhaps  two-thirds  of  the  distillers  in  the  western 
counties  were  thereby  exempt  from  the  tax,  and  their  whiskey  froiu 
seizure,  unless  caught  beyond  the  lines.  The  people  of  Washington 
county  had  a  long,  tempting  river  border,  from  which  they  could 
ship  to  the  lower  markets,  or  send  it  across  into  the  Oliio  part 
of  the  northwest  territory,  to  which  the  excise  laws  had  not  been 
extended.  Some  were  cautious  or  conscientious  enough  to  be 
willing  to  pay  the  duty  at  the  places  of  shipment,  but  the  collector 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  S7S 


of  Ohio  county,  Virginia,  then  all  of  the  Panhandle,  gave  public 
notice  that  he  could  receive  none  except  on  what  was  made  in  his 
own  county.  The  greater  part  of  Fayette,  Westmoreland,  and 
Bedford  could  pack  their  whiskey  in  twenty-gallon  kegs  across  the 
mountains  with  impunity,  because  vessels  of  that  capacity  were  not 
required  by  the  law  to  be  marked  as  legal,  or  be  accompanied  by 
certificates.  Only  the  Monongahela  and  Youghioglusny  river  bor- 
ders of  the  four  counties  were  hedged  in  by  a  yigilant  surveillance, 
and  had  to  run  the  gauntlet.  Many  looked  upon  the  whole  system 
as  tumbling  to  pieces,  and  few,  if  any,  were  willing  to  go  to  its  relief. 
The  Secretary  saw  and  lamented  these  embarrassments,  biit  could 
not  remove  them.  The  defects  were  in  the  law,  the  localities,  and 
the  temper  of  the  people,  which  were  beyond  his  reach.  He  asked 
the  Congress  which  sat  in  1792-93  to  cure  them,  but  without  suc- 
cess ;  so  he  had  to  resort  to  expedients,  as  well  before  as  after  that 
failure. 

The  first  expedient  was,  in  September,  1792,  to  procure  the  Presi- 
dent, who  had  retired  for  rest  to  the  shades  of  Mount  Vernon,  to 
sign  the  proclamation,  which  I  have  referred  to  (in  a  note),  contain- 
ing a  general  warning  to  transgressors.  It  had  a  good  effect.  Then 
came  the  flying  mission  of  the  supervisor,  before  noted,  whose  pur- 
pose was  to  procure  evidence  upon  which  to  indict,  in  the  United 
States  Court,  the  assailants  of  Faulkner,  and  those  who  had  composed 
a  little  meeting  in  Pittsburgh,  in  August,  1792,  which  had  passed 
some  intemperate  and  indiscreet  resolutions,  which  the  Secretary 
deemed  to  be  violations  of  some  Act  of  Congress,  but  which  neither 
the  Attorney-General  nor  he  could  find.*     This  dastardly,  inde- 

*  This  meeting  was  composed  of  John  Badolet,  Bazil  Bowell,  Shesba- 
zer  Bentley,  David  Bradford,  Edward  Cook,  John  Canon,  Thoma.s 
Gaddis,  Albert  Gallatin,  Neal  Gillespie,  John  Hamilton,  John  Huey, 
Mathew  Jameson,  Peter  Lisle,  Alexander  Long,  John  McClelland, 
Robert  McClure,  James  Marshall,  Benjamin  Parkinson,  David  Phillips, 
James  Stewart,  John  Smilie,  William  Wallace,  and  Samuel  Wilson— 23 
a  grand  jury.    John  Canon,  chairman  ;  Albert  Gallatin,  clerk. 

The  supposed  indictable  proceedings  were  as  follows: 

«♦  And  whereas,  some  men  may  be  found  among  us  so  far  lost  to  every 
sense  of  virtue  and  feeling  for  the  distress  of  this  country  as  to  accept 
offices  for  the  collection  of  the  duty  [on  stills  and  spirits] — 

^^  Resolved,  therefore,  that  in  future  we  will  consider  such  persons  as 
unworthy  of  our  friendship,  have  no  intercourse  or  dealings  with  them, 


376  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

fensible  and  abortive  effort  of  vindictiveness  nullified  the  salutary 
influence  of  the  proclamation. 

Another  expedient  had  a  better  effect.  It  was  to  pay  cash  to 
complying  distillers  for  whiskey  for  Wayne's  army,  then  in  camp  at 
Legionville,  at  or  near  where  Economy  now  is,  and  afterwards  on 
its  movements  against  the  British  Indians.  To  sustain  this  expe- 
dient efforts  were  made  to  seize  illicit  whiskey,  but  with  very  partial 
results. 

It  was  more  to  the  purpose  to  obtain  offices  and  officers  for  the 
other  counties,  in  time  for  the  June  entries  of  1793.  On  the  first 
of  June  of  that  year  the  inspector  gave  notice,  through  the  "  Ga- 
zette," that  offices. for  entries,  &c.,  were  opened  at  his  own  house, 
and  at  the  house  of  R.  Johnson,  in  Allegheny  county ;  at  B.  Wells', 
in  Fayette,  and  at  Philip  Reagan's,  in  Westmoreland — none  yet  "for 
Washington  or  Bedford.  But  if  one  had  been  'obtained  for  West- 
moreland, it  was  soon  suppressed ;  for  Secretary  Hamilton,  in  his 
oft  quoted  report  of  August,  1 794,  says  that  all  efforts  to  obtain  an 
office  jn  that  county,  as  well  as  in  Washington,  up  to  1794,  had 
utterly  failed.  So,  as  to  offices,  things  stood  as  they  were  in  1792. 
In  the  fall  of  1793,  however.  Captain  John  Webster  gave  notice  of 
his  being  the  collector  for  Bedford  county.  Still  forbearing  towards 
the  inspector,  no  attempt  to  suppress  him  or  Johnson  was  made  in 
1793,  except,  it  was  said,  that  at  some  militia  muster  he  was  hung 
and  burnt  in  effigy.  But  Wells  being  notoriously  timid,  and 
obnoxious  on  general  account,  a  riotous  visit  was  made  to  his  house 
in  a  night  in  April,  1793;  but  he  being  ''out,"  it  had  no  other 
effect  than  to  frighten  the  inmates.     Nobody  was  hurt. 

Notwithstanding  these  covert,  disorderly,  and  illegal  demonstra- 
tions of  a  still  lurking  propensity  to  mischief  by  the  lower  strata  of 
society,  it  was  confessed  on  all  hands  that  the  excise  law  gained 
ground  in  1793,  at  least  until  near  its  close.  It  would  have  con- 
tinued to  gain  had  the  Treasury  officers  let  distillers  alone  for  a 
while,  in  the  counties  where  they  had  offices,  so  as  to  put  them  on  a 

withdraw  from  them  every  assi-stance,  and  withhold  all  the  comforts  of 
life  which  depend  upon  those  duties  that  as  men  and  fellow  citizens  we 
owe  to  each  other,  and  upon  all  occasions  treat  them  with  that  contempt 
they  deserve  ;  and  that  it  be  and  hereby  is  most  earnestly  recommended 
to  the  people  at  large  to  follow  the  same  line  of  conduct  towards 
them." — Nilea'  Jtcgister,  Vol.  II.,  54. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  3jj 

level  with  those  where  they  had  none,  and  turned  their  attention  to 
a  steady  and  vigorous  detection  and  prosecution  of  the  riotous  offen- 
ders. The  offences  were  all  cognizable  by  our  local  courts,  which 
were  open  and  ready.  The  arm  of  justice  is  always  more  effective 
in  close  attack  than  when  wielded  from  a  distance.  But,  supposing 
the  offences  to  have  been  "obstructing  or  hindering  an  officer  of 
inspection  in  the  execution  of  the  act,  or  of  any  of  the  powers  or 
authorities  thereby  vested  in  him"  (which  by  the  act  of  1791  was 
punishable  by  a  fine  not  exceeding  $200),  and  thereby  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  United  States  Court ;  the  same  Congress  which 
did  not  amend  the  law  as  to  county  offices  and  the  Ohio  territory, 
seeing  the  weakness  of  the  judicial  arm  at  so  great  a  distance,  and 
the  cruelty  to  alleged,  and  so  far  as  tried,  innocent  defendants,  and 
the  hardship  to  witnesses  of  dragging  them  a  seven-days'  journey 
from  their  homes  and  business,  did,  in  March,  1793,  enact  a  law 
enabling  the  Federal  Court  to  hold  special  sessions  near  to  the  places 
where  the  offences  were  charged  to  have  been  committed.  Says 
Findley,  ' '  those  who  anxiously  wished  to  see  the  dignity  and 
authority  of  the  laws  supported,  expected  that  a  special  session 
would  have  been  held  in  the  western  counties  with  all  convenient 
speed.  If  this  had  been  done,"  he  adds,  "  I  am  certain  there  would 
have  been  no  insurrection." 

Instead  of  taking  this  course,  the  Secretary  and  his  subordinates 
declare  their  determination  to  resort  to  the  vindictive  expedient  of 
"  prosecuting  delinquents,  in  the  cases  in  which  it  could  l)e  clearly 
done,  for  non-compliance  with  the  laws."  Of  course  it  could 
be  "  clearly  done  "  against  delinquents  in  only  about  one-third  of 
the  survey,  while  distillers  and  their  friends  in  the  other  two-thirds 
could  look  on  and  laugh.  We  will  presently  see  the  fearful  results 
of  this  expedient. 

At  this  juncture  a  new  god  was  added  to  mythology.  A  frightful 
myth  he  was — a  Darwinian  development  of  the  times.  He  bore  the 
classic  name  of  Tom  the  Tinker.  It  was  said  he  was  one  John 
Holcroft,  and  that  his  Olympus  was  on  some  of  the  hills  of  Mingo 
or  Peter's  creek.  But  truly,  he  was  a  multiform  deity  ;  at  least  he 
was  Briarean  in  his  functions.  His  mundane  recreations  were  to 
destroy  the  stills  and  mills,  and  burn  the  barns  of  complying  dis- 
tillers,  and   terrify   others   into   non-compliance.     He   sometimes 


378  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

warned  before  striking ;  but  the  warnings  and  the  blows  were 
always  in  the  dark,  and  of  difficult  detection.  The  stills  and  mills 
of  several  complying  distillers  within  the  range  of  General  Neville's 
offices  were  destroyed,  or  materially  injured,  the  barn  and  contents 
of  another  burnt,  and  fire  and  ruin  threatened  to  others.  The  barn 
of  one  in  Wells'  county  was  burnt.  "  It  was  given  out,"  says  Secre- 
tary Hamilton,  upon  information  from  General  Neville,  February 
27,  1794,  ''  that  in  three  weeks  there  would  not  be  a  house  standing 
in  Allegheny  county  of  any  person  who  had  complied  with  the 
laws."  Here,  then,  was  the  dilemma  of  a  distiller :  if  I  comply, 
my  property,  perchance  my  life,  and  the  lives  of  my  family,  may 
be  the  sacrifices;  if  I  don't  comply,  I  must  either  tear  down  my 
stills,  empty  my  whiskey  into  the  creek,  feed  my  grain  to  the  hogs, 
get  my  salt,  iron,  and  tax  money  as  best  I  can,  or  pay  the  penalty 
of  $250  with  costs  of  suit.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  they  failed  to 
comply  ? 

One  of  the  earliest  outside  raids  of  Tom  and  his  lesser  gods — in- 
deed it  is  said  some  of  them  came  from  his  empire — was  a  renewed 
visit  to  Wells,  in  November,  1793.  This  time  they  found  him  ''at 
home,"  and  by  threats  and  other  "persuasions,"  induced  him  to  give 
up  his  commission  and  books,  and  come  under  solemn  promise  no 
longer  to  act  as  an  exciseman.  But  the  old  man  did  not  keep  his 
word  in  that  behalf,  deeming  the  obligation — and  very  justly — not 
binding,  because  given  under  duress.  So  he  soon  after  procured  a 
new  commission  and  books,  and  went  at  it  again,  in  time  for  the 
entries  of  June  1 794.     We  will  see  how  he  fared  in  the  next  attack. 

Now,  all  the  offices  in  the  four  counties  were  supposed  to  be  cap- 
tured, except  the  two  for  Allegheny.  The  people  began  to  hope 
that  they  would  yield  to  the  storm  of  indignation  without  a  formal 
siege  or  attack.  But  General  Neville  was  made  of  sterner  stuff. 
Threats  were  tried,  but  without  avail.  He  assumed  a  defiant  atti- 
tude, as  much  as  to  say,  "  come  and  take  me."  Instead  of  yielding, 
the  people  soon  found  that  he  had  re-instated  Wells,  and  had  pro- 
cured one  John  Lynn  to  rent  part  of  his  house  in  Canonsburgh  for 
an  office  for  the  county  of  Washington.  This  was  about  the  first 
of  June,  1794.  Hardly  was  the  sign  up  before  this  office  was  sup- 
pressed. Dr.  Carnahan,  then  a  student  of  the  academy,  relates  the 
case  thus  :   "He  (Lynn)  was  taken  from  his  bed,  carried  into  the 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  379 

woods,  where  he  received  a  coat  of  tar  and  feathers,  and  was  left 
tied  to  a  tree,  but  so  loosely  that  he  could  easily  extricate  himself. 
He  returned  to  his  house,  and  after  undergoing  an  ablution  with 
grease  and  soap,  and  sand  and  water,  exhibited  himself  to  the  boys 
of  the  academy  and  others,  and  laughed  and  made  sport  of  the 
whole  matter."  Secretary  Hamilton  tells  the  tale  in  somewhat 
higher  coloring,  but  he  was  not  there  to  see.* 

Reagan,  in  Westmoreland,  had  also  been  induced  to  let  half  of  his 
double  log-house,  on  Big  Sewickley,  for  a  branch  office  for  the 
Elder  Wells,  which  he  put  under  the  care  of  his  son  John  and 
Reagan,  men  of  courage  and  tact  in  the  art  of  defence.  They 
converted  the  office  into  a  quasi  block-house,  with  arms  and  port- 
holes, and  withstood  several  nightly  attacks  during  all  the  month 
of  June.  It  is  not  likely  they  received  any  entries  of  stills. 
Whether  Webster  got  any  is  unknown.  The  volcano  was  about  to 
erupt.  All  it  wanted  was  the  "lid  off."  Neville  and  the  marshal 
soon  removed  it.  But  before  the  catastrophe  comes  let  us  pause 
and  take  a  hasty  retrospect. 

These  flank  movements  indicated  an  unruly  and  reckless  element 
of  society,  powerful,  by  its  insignificance,  by  the  impunity  it  had  so 
long  enjoyed,  and  by  the  chronic  aversions  of  the  community  to  the 
law  and  the  men  against  whom  they  warred.  Like  a  deeply-seated 
disease  in  a  sickly  body,  it  was  hard  to  arrest,  and  could  be  reached 
only  by  bringing  it  to  the  surface.  All  good  men  frowned  upon 
these  demonstrations,  not  only  because  they  were  riotous,  cruel, 
and  contagious,  but  because  they  were  calculated  to  repress  any 
sympathy  elsewhere,  and  invoke  the  avenging  arm  of  the  govern- 

*  Some  weeks  before  this  occurrence,  two  reputable  citizens  of 
Canonsburgii— one,  the  old  postmaster,  whom  some  of  us  remember, 
the  other,  the  father  of  an  eminent  living  professor  in  one  of  our  theo- 
logical seminaries — came  together  to  Pittsburgh,  each  with  a  quantity 
of  whiskey.  That  of  tlie  one  was  seized  and  sold  for  the  excise,  by  the 
exciseman  Johnson,  at  a  considerable  profit  to  himself.  Thereupon 
the  other  remarked,  before  all  the  company,  "that  the  excise  business 
was  a  fine  way  to  make  money,  and  wished  that  Johnson  would  give 
him  the  office."  Soon  after  this  a  feud  sprang  up  between  the  two 
citizens,  and  the  sufferer  charged  the  other  with  wanting  to  be  an 
exciseman,  and  open  an  office  in  the  town;  which  he  indignantly 
denied.  An  angry  controversy  ensued  through  the  Pittsburgh  Qazettc, 
in  June  and  July,  1794. 


SSo  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

ment  upon  the  innocent.  The  only  apology  which  can  be  made 
for  them  is  that  they  were  the  natural  outgrowths  of  the  social  and 
political  condition  of  the  people,  stimulated  to  precocity  and 
virulence  by  the  misconceptions  and  blunders  of  the  Treasury 
Department  of  the  government,  in  its  fitful  efforts  to  force  an  affec- 
tion for  an  odious  and  unjust  law.  "  Leviathan  is  not  so  tamed." 
Moreover,  the  modes  pursued  were  supposed  to  have  illustrious 
precedents.  It  was  by  such  demonstrations  of  popular  disfavor  that 
the  Stamp  Act  of  1 765  had  been  nullified  in  all  the  colonies,  and 
eventually  repealed.*  The  same  career  had  been  successfully  run 
against  the  State  excise  law ;  and  why  could  it  not  be  against  that 
of  the  United  States  ?  As  a  legislative  power  the  National  Govern- 
ment was  new  and  untried.  Our  people  hardly  knew  it.  They  had 
done  their  own  fighting  in  great  measure,  and  found  themselves. 
They  could  not  see  why  it  was  that  a  law  confessedly  wrong  in. the 
State  could  be  right  in  the  United  States ;  nor  why  the  repeal  of 
one  should  be  so  soon  followed  by  the  enactment  of  another. 
"They  flattered  themselves,"  says  Dr.  Carnahan,  "that  they  were' 
only  carrying  out  Whig  principles,  and  following  Whig  examples. 
These  ideas,  pervading  the  great  body  of  the  people,  caused  those 
•who  were  orderly  and  peaceable  citizens  to  look  with  an  indulgent 
eye  at  these  first  acts  of  insult  and  violence  to  the  Federal  excise 
officers." 

As  to  the  excisemen,  or  deputies,  who  were  the  victims  of  these 
visitations,  it  is  enough  to  say  of  them  that  their  reputations  were 
not  strong  enough  to  bear  the  loathsome  load  which  they  under- 
took to  carry.     Dr.   Carnahan,  who   was  their  cotemnorary,  and 

*  One  John  Hughes  was  the  stamp-master  at  Philadelphia.  He  was  a 
friend  of  Dr.  Franklin,  and,  of  course,  unfriendly  to  the  Proprietary 
party.  When  the  news  reached  the  city  that  his  commission  and  the 
stamps  were  on  a  ship  in  the  bay,  a  town  meeting  was  called,  by  the 
ringing  of  bells  and  beating  of  drums.  A  great  crowd  assembled, 
passed  some  terrible  resolutions,  and  sent  a  delegation  of  "insurgents," 
such  as  James  Tilghnian,  Itohert  Morris,  Archibald  McCall,  and  Charles 
Thompson,  to  the  stanip-n)aster,  who  was  sick  in  bed,  to  demand  his 
papers  and  the  non-execution  of  his  office.  To  the  latter  he  agreed 
but  not  having  his  commission,  could  not  give  it  up.  In  his  report  of 
these  incendiary  proceedings,  he  charges  them  all  to  the  ^'Presbyterians 
and  Proprietary  emissaries."  So  our  insurgents  had  at  least  one  ortho- 
dox precedent. — Hazard's  Register,  Vol.  II.,  244. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  sSi 

probably  knew  some  of  them,  says  they  were  "  generally  of  low 
character,  had  very  little  sensibility,  and  were  willing,  for  the 
paltry  emoluments  of  the  office,  to  incur  the  censure  and  contempt 
of  their  fellow  citizens."  Perhaps  the  good  Doctor  is  a  little  too 
rough.  Some  of  them,  we  know,  have  respectable  descendants. 
Such,  however,  seems  to  have  been  the  general  estimate  of  their 
character.  General  Irvine,  well  known  about  Pittsburgh  at  and 
before  this  period,  one  of  the  commissioners  of  peace  and  amnesty 
sent  out  by  Governor  Mifflin,  in  August,  1794,  wrote  :  "  I  believe 
it  will  be  found  that  some  of  the  officers  (of  the  excise)  here  have 
behaved  shamefully." 

Up  to  this  period  the  excise  laws,  and  the  obnoxious  men  and 
measures  used  to  enforce  them,  were  almost  the  only  employed 
powers  of  the  Federal  Government  which  had  come  in  contact  with 
the  people  of  Western  Pennsylvania ;  and  its  relations  to  them  in 
other  respects  had  not  been  such  as  to  attract  their  confidence. 
Great  Britain  had  been  allowed,  for  ten  years,  against  treaty  obliga- 
tions, to  retain  possesssion  of  armed  posts  within  our  N.  W.  Terri- 
tory, thereby  facilitating  and  inciting  the  Indians  to  frequent  raids 
and  rapine.  The  disastrous  failures  of  Harmar's  and  St.  Clair's 
campaigns  had  spread  terror  all  over  the  West ;  and  Wayne's  army 
had  been  held  in  check  for  almost  two  years,  while  the  government 
was  parleying  with  the  wily  savages  about  peace  and  a  boundary. 
These  failures  and  delays  kept  up  the  perils  of  navigating  the  Ohio; 
and  Spain  was  allowed,  contrary  to  treaty  and  asserted  natural  right, 
to  obstruct  the  free  use  of  the  Mississippi.  Very  many  of  our  peo- 
ple were-  dazzled  with  the  meteor  glare  of  republican  France. 
Hamilton,  the  father  and  nurse  of  the  excise,  was  believed,  and  not 
without  some  evidence,  to  be  a  semi-monarchist,  and  too  fond  of 
England.  Mr.  Jay,  appointed  to  negotiate  a  treaty  with  the  British 
Ministry,  was  accused,  though  unjustly,  of  being  hostile  to  the 
West.  These  all  constituted  an  array  of  alienating  influences  which 
required  some  forbearance  to  subdue.  The  only  countervailing 
considerations  were  based  upon  the  obligation  of  all  good  citizens 
to  obey  the  laws  enacted  by  the  government  they  had  consented  to 
establish.  But  this  was,  to  them,  an  abstract  ideal  duty,  which 
required  some  motive  of  interest  to  recognize,  and  some  affectionate 
regard  to  appreciate.     Obedience  and   protection,  said   they,  are 


-g^  PRESBYTER/AN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

reciprocal  obligations;  and  a  government  that  withholds  the  one 
must  not  expect  the  other,  at  least  not  to  partial  and  oppressive 
laws. 

If  the  government  had  but  deferred  its  attempts  to  enforce  the 
excise  laws  for  a  year  or  two  longer,  all  would  have  gone  well. 
Wayne  soon  vanquished  the  Indians.  The  western  posts  were 
given  up.  Spain  yielded  the  free  and  rightful  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi.  The  French  Revolution  had  become  revolting,  a 
"reign  of  terror;"  and  the  wise  counsels  and  firmness  of  Wash- 
ington had  preserved  the  country  in  peace  and  prosperity. 

I  am  the  last  man  to  call  in  question  any  of  the  doings  of  the 
first  and  wisest  and  purest  of  our  Presidents.  But  it  is  to  be 
lamented,  that  our  perplexing  foreign  relations,  at  this  juncture,  so 
burdened  his  mind  as  to  compel  him  to  devolve  upon  others  the 
details  of  executing  the  laws  relating  to  domestic  affairs  which  Con- 
gress had  enacted.  He  could  not  have  been  truly  informed  of  the 
condition  of  the  western  counties,  their  privations  and  grievances. 
He  was  not  a  Scotch-Irishman.  The  representations,  which  he  saw 
and  heard,  all  came  from  interested  and  prejudiced  partizans.  His 
published  writings  disclose  no  evidence  that  he  was  ever  consulted 
upon  the  aggravating  measures,  until  they  produced  a  crisis  which 
made  it  his  duty  to  interpose.  Be  all  this  as  it  may,  instead  of  for- 
bearing, it  was,  most  inopportunely,  determined  to  press  compliance 
with  the  excise  laws  with  the  utmost  rigor;  not  against  those  who 
had  piled  up  the  perils  of  compliance,  but  against  distillers  who  had 
not  elected  to  encounter  those  perils.  Nay,  more,  at  the  very  time 
Congress  was  engaged  in  passing  a  law  to  enable  them  to  be  sued  in 
their  own  courts,  the  District  Attorney,  doubtless  at  the  instance  of 
the  revenue  officers,  persisted  in  suing  them  before  the  U.  S.  Court 
at  Philadelphia.  This  was  an  outrage  greater  than  some,  at  least, 
which  the  poor  excisemen  had  suffered.  It  was  the  spark  to  the 
magazine.  Says  General  Irvine,  in  the  letter  from  which  I  have 
already  quoted,  "  I  do  not  mean  now  either  to  condemn  or  justify 
the  proceedings  here,  but  I  may  safely  venture  to  say,  that  the 
people  on  the  west  of  the  mountains  labor  under  hardships,  if  not 
grievances  that  are  not  known,  or  at  least  not  understood,  in  other 
parts  of  the  United  States,  in  more  instances  than  the  excise ;  but 
in  this  particularly  it  can  be  demonstrated  that  they  labor  under 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  383 

peculiar  hardship,  for  instance,  carrying  a  man  to  Philadelphia  or  ' 
York  to  be  tried  for  crimes,   real  or  supposed,    or  on  litigation 
respecting  property,  perhaps  under  the  Value  of  forty  shillings  :  this 
is  intolerable y     Pass  we  now  to  see  what  became  of  it. 

Prior  to  1794  but  few  suits  had  been  instituted  against  delinquent 
distillers  in  any  of  the  western  counties,  and  those  which  had  been, 
were  either  not  prosecuted,  or  had  been  quietly  settled.  As  the 
law  then  stood,  these  had  to  be  brought  in  the  Court  of  the 
United  States  for  the  District  of  Pennsylvania,  which  then  sat  only 
at  Philadelphia,  and  perhaps  at  York. 

The  suits  to  which  General  Irvine  refers  were,  probably,  disputes 
about  petty  forfeitures,  and  the  indictments  against  the  falsely 
accused  assailants  of  Captain  Faulkner,  and  against  Sheriff  Paull,  of 
Fayette,  already  referred  to.  These,  and  the  constant  dread  of 
suits  in  that  court  for  the  penalty  of  $250  for  non-entry,  had  come 
to  be  considered  an  intolerable  grievance.  The  costs  and  the 
expenses  of  attendance  and  counsel  might  exceed  the  penalty.  As 
well  now  might  some  of  us  be  sued  before  a  court  in  Maine  or 
Oregon.  It  was  a  new  thing  to  our  people  to  be  sued  so  far  from 
home.  The  distillers  were  generally  farmers,  many  of  them  strug- 
gling to  pay  for  and  improve  their  lands,  and  help  their  neighbors ; 
so  that,  in  many  cases,  as  already  seen,  it  was  a  dread  of  ruin,  per- 
haps death,  if  they  complied,  and  certain  ruin  if  sued  at  Phila- 
delphia for  non-compliance.     It  might  cost  them  their  all. 

Although  Congress  could  not  be  brought  to  repeal  the  excise 
laws,  it  was  not  deaf  to  the  well-founded  complaints  of  being  sued 
in  a  strange  and  far  distant  court.  Its  benignant  enactment  of 
1793,  by  which  the  District  Court  was  allowed  to  hold  sittings  near 
the  places  of  alleged  offences,  had,  for  some  cause,  been  disregarded, 
without  experiment  or  reason.  Moreover,  the  fees  of  officers  of 
that  court,  and  of  witnesses  before  it,  were,  perhaps,  treble  of  what 
they  were  in  the  State  courts,  and  the  marshal  could  call  jurors 
from  any  places  in  the  State  without  any  control  upon  his  im- 
partiality. 

To  remedy  all  this,  during  the  last  week  of  May,  1794,  a  bill 
was  in  rapid  progress  of  passage  through  Congress,  with  almost  a 
certainty  of  enactment,  which  provided  that  suits  of  every  kind, 
under   the  laws   for   collecting   revenues   from   spirits   distilled  in 


384  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

the  United  States,  and  from  stills,  arising  at  a  greater  distance  than 
fifty  miles  from  the  places  appointed  by  law  for  holding  District 
Courts  of  the  United  States;  might  be  brought  in  the  State  Courts. 
It  passed,  finally,  on  the  3d  of  June,  and  was  approved  on  the  5th 
by  the  President. 

As  if  to  elude  the  intent  of  Congress,  and  aggravate  one  of  the 
greatest  of  the  grievances,  the  newly-app6intei  District  Attorney, 
perhaps  at  the  instance  of  high  officers  of  the  Revenue  Department, 
who  were  watching  the  progress  of  this  law  (for  Congress  then  sat  at 
Philadelphia),  on  the  31st  day  of  May,  1794,  sued  out  of  the 
United  States  District  Court  some  seventy-five  writs  against  dis- 
tillers, all  over  the  State,  in  which  thirty-four  of  the  defendants 
resided  in  Fayette  county,  and  six  in  Allegheny,  the.  only  counties 
in  the  west  wherein  offices  had  been  kept  up.  Not  only  had  the 
alleged  offences  in  these  two  counties  been  allowed  to  slumber  for 
eleven  months,  but  there  was  no  need  of  haste  in  bringing  the 
suits,  except  to  forestall  Congress,  for  the  writs  were  not  returnable 
until  the  12th  of  August,  and  no  attempt  to  serve  them  was  made 
until  about  the  middle  of  July. 

These  are  important  facts,  which  nearly  all  the  historians  of  this 
convulsion  have  overlooked.  Those  who  have  noticed  them  have 
either  blunted  their  application  by  a  confusion  of  dates,  or  were 
misled  to  say  that  the  act  could  not  apply  to  offences  before  its 
passage,  which  every  lawyer  knows  is  a  mistake.  The  credit 
of  their  orderly  disclosure  is  due  to  Mr.  Ward,  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Historical  Society,  in  his  paper  hereinbefore  noted.  He  brought 
them  out  by  collating  the  Court  Records  with  the  Journals  of  Con- 
gress. If  not  an  intentional,  it  was  certainly,  in  its  results,  a  most 
disastrous  evasion  of  a  very  salutary  enactment,  as  we  will  presently 
see. 

General  Neville  was  a  Virginian,  of  English  descent.  He  seems 
to  have  had  no  clear  comprehension  of  the  tenacity  of  purpose 
which  is  one  of  the  elements  of  Scotch-Irish  character,  nor  of  the 
excesses  into  which  those  imbued  with  vicious  propensities  will  run 
against  men  and  measures  popularly  obnoxious.  Those  which  had 
been  practiced  against  excise  officers  and  complying  distillers  had, 
by  long  impunity  and  success,  crystalized  into  an  avalanche,  which 
moved  by  the  law  of  crescit  eundo.     General  Neville  could  not  but 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  jSj 

note  its  growth,  nor  be  heedless  of  its  approach,  nor  fail  to  see  that 
sooner  or  later  it  must  overwhelm  him  and  his  house,  unless  arrested 
by  conciliation,  suspense  of  his  functions,  or  the  strong  arm  of  the 
government.  He  would  have  been  perfectly  justifiable  in  saying  to 
his  superiors,  I  can  hold  out  no  longer.  I  have  done  all  I  could  to 
upliold  the  law  and  its  officers.  One  after  another  my  outposts  are 
captured.  I  am  in  the  enemy's  country,  with  no  base  of  supplies, 
no  reinforcements,  no  counter  movement,  no  relief:  I  must  surrender. 
Perhaps  he  did  so  remonstrate,  and  his  superiors  bade  him  hold  the 
fort  against  the  slow  siege,  while  they  went  to  work  to  provoke  a 
fierce  assault.  If  no  such  orders,  the  subordinate  was  inexcusably 
reckless.     Sometimes  "  the  better  part  of  valor  is  discretion." 

The  inspector  had  repeated  warnings  of  his  fate  if  he  persisted. 
He  had  more  than  once,  when  out  from  home,  escaped  capture  and 
maltreatment.  "  Letters  from  the  inspector  in  March,"  says  Secre- 
tary Hamilton,  "  announce  a  plan  of  collecting  a  force  to  seize  him, 
compel  him  to  resign  his  commission,  and  detain  him  prisoner,  per- 
haps as  a  hostage."  A  hostage  !  for  whom?  for  what?  The  excise 
officers  held  no  captives.  Did  they  mean  to  make  some?  Per- 
haps they  did,  and  Tom  had  found  them  out,  and  was  beginning  to 
organize  his  forces.     Andrew  Boggs   testified   that    "  a   few   days 

before  the  4th  of  July  (1794),  Major mentioned  to  me  that 

it  would  not  be  long  before  I  would  hear  of  a  party  of  four  or 
five  hundred,  who  would  join  to  suppress  the  excise  office  in  this 
(Allegheny)  county,  and  that  they  would  march  to  General  Neville's. 
I  communicated  this  to  Colonel  Neville,"  the  General's  son,  who 
doubtless  informed  his  father,  for  "  in  a  letter  from  him  of  the  tenth 
of  July,"  says  the  Secretary,  "he  observed  that  the  threatened 
visit  had  not  yet  been  made,  though  he  had  still  reason  to  expect  it." 
It  came  full  soon.  In  the  meantime  he  prepared  for  it,  by  barri- 
cading his  windows  with  plank,  arming  his  negroes,  and  concerting 
a  signal  from  the  house  to  their  quarters,  upon  which  being  given, 
they  were  to  fire.  The  inspection  office  had  become  a  fort ;  just 
enough  so  to  provoke  its  capture. 

On  the  14th  of  July,  Major  Lenox,  the  United  States  Marshal, 

came  to  Pittsburgh,  from  Fayette  county,  where  he  had,  successfully, 

and  without  insult  or  injury,  served  the  thirty-four  writs  on  distillers 

ihere,  and  was  pleased.     He  had  yet  to  serve  the  six  in  Allegheny 

Z 


38(>  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

county,  all  of  which  were  against  distillers  in  the  domains  of  Tom 
the  Tinker,  on  the  Peter's  creek  border  of  Washington  county,  but 
on  the  wrong  side  of  the  line  to  be  safe  against  the  penalty  of  the 
Excise  law.  They  were  all  within  a  few  miles  of  Gen.  Neville's 
"  Bower  Hill "  home  and  office.  Instead  of  going  out,  in  the  pano- 
ply of  his  high  commission  alone,  or  with  an  unofficial  guide,  to 
serve  those  writs,  he  allowed  or  invited  the  inspector  to  accompany 
him.  The  marshal  may  be  excused ;  the  inspector  cannot  be.  It 
was  a  solicitation  to  insult  and  violence — a  defiance  of  the  hosts  of 
the  enemy. 

It  was  in  the  time  of  wheat  harvest,  when  squads  of  reapers  were 
gathered  upon  every  alternate  farm ;  the  distilleries  cold,  but  perhaps 
some  of  the  men  "warm"  with  their  liquid  fires.  In  the  same 
neighborhood  there  was  also,  on  that  day,  a  legally  called  militia 
meeting,  at  which  many  were  in  attendance ;  and,  as  was  usual  in 
such  cases,  they  had  their  arms  and  ammunition.  In  the  course  of 
the  day,  the  marshal  and  his  obnoxious. guide  had  served  five  of  the 
writs,  unmolested.  But  towards  evenmg  word  got  out  that  the 
"  Federal  sheriff"  and  Neville  were  serving  writs  on  the  distillers,  to 
take  them  to  Philadelphia.  Some  said  this  could  not  be  so,  or 
if  so  that  it  was  illegal,  for  they  had  heard  of  the  law  which  allowed 
them  to  be  sued  at  home.  An  inspection  of  a  copy  of  one  of  the 
writs  soon  set  this  matter  at  rest,  and  showed  that  the  writs  were 
two  months  old  (they  bore  test  May  13th),  and  were  each  for  the 
penalty  of  #250,  incurred  for  not  having  entered  the  still,  or  stills, 
of  the  defendant  in  June  of  the  year  1793,  leading  them  to  suppose 
that  for  the  June  of  1 794  other  writs  would  follow.  Here  was  ruin 
double  distilled ;  it  must  be  averted  at  all  hazards. 

The  last  of  the  six  writs  to  be  served  was  on  one  William  Miller, 
a  captain  of  militia,  who  had  seen  service,  a  favorite  with  the  people, 
a  cousin  of  Major  Kirkpatrick,  the  brother-in-law  of  Neville,  whose 
friend  and  supporter  he  had  been.  When  this  writ  was  served  it 
was  about  sunset.  Men  were  coming  from  the  field  and  the 
muster.  They  all  knew  what  the  marshal  and  Neville  were  doing. 
"The  Federal  sheriff,"  said  Miller  afterwards  to  Brackenridge,  "was 
reading  the  writ,  and  General  Neville  on  horseback  in  the  lane, 
where  he  called  on  the  sheriff  to  make  haste.  I  looked  up  and  saw  a 
party  of  men  running  across  the  field,  as  it  were  to  head  the  sheriff 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  3S7 


[the  marshal].  He  set  off  with  General  Neville,  and  when  they  got 
to  the  head  of  the  lane  the  people  fired  upon  them.  That  night  it 
was  concluded  to  go  on  to  Neville's  and  take  him  and  the  marshal. 
I  felt  myself  mad  with  passion.  I  thought  $250  would  ruin  me ; 
and  to  have  to  go  to  the  Federal  Court  at  Philadelphia  would  keep 
me  from  going  to  Kentucky  this  fall,  and  I  was  getting  ready.  I 
felt  my  blood  boil  at  seeing  General  Neville  along,  to  pilot  the 
sheriff  [marshal]  to  my  very  door.  He  had  been  against  the  excise 
law  as  much  as  anybody.  I  was  always  for  him  in  his  elections,  and 
it  put  me  mad  to  see  him  coming  to  ruin  me." 

There  is  the  whole  secret,  sued  at  Philadelphia,  and  Neville 
assisting  in  the  service  of  the  writs.  John  Holcroft,  the  reputed 
Tom  the  Tinker,  was  about,  and  his  "  ladle  was  hot."  As  it  was 
late,  and  Neville's  house  was  between  Miller's  and  Pittsburgh,  and 
the  marshal  and  he  had  come  and  gone  together,  it  was  quite  logical 
to  assume  that  the  marshal  would  lodge  there  that  night,  but  really 
he  had  gone  on  to  Pittsburgh.  Ere  sunrise  the  next  morning — the 
1 6th — some  thirty  or  forty  men  and  boys,  about  half  of  them  with 
guns,  are  seen  approaching  the  mansion  and  inspection  office  at 
Bower  Hill.  Neville  was  up,  and  just  about  to  ride.  He  was  disap- 
pointed. He  had  expected  the  visit  in  the  night.  He  however  was 
ready.  The  corps  d'armee,  headed  by  Holcroft,  demanded  to  see 
the  marshal.  The  answer  is,  "  He  is  not  here — gone  to  Pittsburgh." 
They  are  disappointed.  "Then  we  demand  that  you  surrender  your 
commission,  and  stop  this  business."  A  horn  is  blown  in  the  house. 
The  negroes  fire,  simultaneously  with  a  volley  from  the  house. 
Several  of  the  assailants  are  wounded,  one  mortally.  The  fire  is 
faintly  returned,  and  they  retreat.  This  was  the  Sumpter  attack  of 
the  war.  Blood  was  shed,  and  blood  was  up.  Hurriedly  and 
alarmingly  the  tocsin  sounded  through  all  that  long  summer  day. 
Sickles  hung  upon  the  trees.  Men  took  down  their  rifles,  picked 
their  flints,  and  filled  their  powder  horns,  while  the  women  run  the 
bullets. 

The  inspector,  alarmed,  bewildered,  and  rightly  judging  that  the 
attack  would  be  renewed,  sent  to  Pittsburgh  for  the  judges  to  protect 
him — they  have  no  power ;  for  General  Wilkins  to  order  out  the 
militia — he  can't  do  it;  for  the  sheriff  to  come  and  command  the 
posse — he  dare  not  do  it,  the  posse  would  be  with  the  assailants ; 


388  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

for  Major  Butler,  of  Fort  Fayette,  to  send  out  soldiers — he  sent 
eleven.  Major  Kirkpatrick  comes  to  his  relief  and  takes  command, 
and  inspects,  perhaps  strengthens,  the  defences.     Vain  effort. 

Up  to  this  crisis  all  the  outrages  seem  to  have  been  without  con- 
cert, stealthy,  in  the  dark,  detached,  and  confined  to  a  few  of  the 
baser  sort.  Now  all  is  changed,  and  "such  a  change  !"  So  sud- 
den, yet  so  thorough  as  almost  to  preclude  the  idea  of  suddenness. 
A  better  class  comes  to  the  front,  and  in  the  broad  blaze  of  day. 
An  efficient  military  organization  existed  in  the  vicinity  of  these 
distillers.  This  was  supplemented  by  a  semi-political,  semi-judicial 
society,  known  as  the  "  Mingo  Creek  Association,"  founded  in 
March  of  this  year,  and  now  in  all  the  glow  of  youthful  vigor.  Its 
stated  sittings  were  at  the  old  Mingo  meeting-house,  prior,  however, 
to  the  advent  of  Dr.  Ralston.  It  was  largely  composed  of  members 
of  a  strong  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  John  Hamilton,  then 
the  sheriff  of  Washington  county.  All  writers  agree  that  this  anoma- 
lous association  was  the  cradle  of  the  "rebellion."  It  certainly 
was  the  first  to  fly  to  arms  and  the  last  to  yield.  Moreover,  the 
settlements  on  Mingo,  in  Washington  county,  and  on  Peters'  creek 
in  Allegheny,  were  in  close  contiguity.  And  it  is  probable  that  some 
of  the  associators,  of  whom,  it  may  be,  were  the  killed  and  some  of 
the  wounded,  were  among  the  assailants  of  Neville's  house  on  the 
morning  of  the  i6th.  But  there  was  a  further  incentive  to  their 
fury. 

The  same  act  of  Congress — of  June  5th,  1794 — which  provided 
for  delinquents  being  sued  in  the  county  courts,  had  also  required 
that  entries  of  stills,  &c.,  be  thereafter  made,  upon  notice  given,  in 
the  nearest  office  of  inspection,  whether  in  or  out  of  the  county.* 
So  the  Washington  county  people  saw  that  their  age  of  impunity 
was  passed,  unless  they  could  crush  out  Neville  and  his  offices. 
This  hastened  their  alacrity  to  go  to  the  relief  of  their  Allegheny 
brethren.  They  went  with  a  rush,  armed  and  organized,  the  good 
with  the  bad  commingling,  some  for  plunder,  more  for  revenge ; 
others  because  they  were  compelled  to  go;  some,  it  may  be,  to 
temper  the  rage  of  the  hour.  By  noon  of  the  next  day — the  1 7th — 
they  had  rendezvoused,  five  hundred  strong,  at  the  site  of  an  old 

*  On  this  point  legal  gentlemen  may  refer  to  the  United  States  vs. 
Jacob  Wolf,  Addison's  Reports,  312. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  3^9 

refuge  from  Indian  attack,  known  as  Couche's  Fort,  some  four 
miles  from  Neville's,  in  the  vicinity  of  Bethel  meeting-house, 
whereat  the  venerable  Rev.  John  Clark  then  ministered.  The  good 
old  man  labored  and  spoke  to  dissuade  them  from  their  mad  enter- 
prise, but  in  vain.  Reason  had  gone  to  the  rear,  passion  ruled. 
They  heard  him  patiently,  but  set  a  precedent  for  some  of  our  own 
times,  by  parrying  his  monitions  with  "  you  are  departing  from 
your  profession  by  meddling  in  politics." 

Under  the  control  of  a  committee  of  three,  with  Major  James 
McFarlane  as  commander,  on  they  go,  some  mounted,  more  afoot, 
a  motley  crowd  : 

"  Nor  martial  shout,  nor  minstrel  tone, 
Announced  their  march — their  tread  alone ; 
At  times  one  warning  trumpet  blown  ; 
At  times  a  stiffed  hum." 

The  committee  take  their  stand  on  an  eminence,  at  a  safe  distance 
from  the  citadel,  with  the  horses  in  the  rear,  in  charge  of  the  non- 
combatants.  Neville  flies.  Kirkpatrick  and  his  eleven  soldiers, 
with  more  chivalry  than  courage,  are  the  forlorn  hope.  The 
negroes  are  concerned  only  to  save  their  bacon  in  an  outhouse, 
' '  A  parley  ensues  under  cover  of  a  flag,  sent  by  the  insurgents  to 
the  house,  to  demand  that  the  inspector  come  forth,  renounce  his 
office,  and  stipulate  never  again  to  accept  an  office  under  the  same 
laws."  So  writes  Secretary  Hamilton,  all  other  narrators  concur- 
ring. The  answer  is,  he  has  retired  to  a  place  unknown.  "  His 
commission  and  official  papers  were  then  demanded,  with  a  declara- 
tion that  if  not  delivered  they  would  be  taken  by  force.  Kirkpat- 
rick replied  that  he  had  sufficient  force  to  defend  the  house  [!],  and 
would  not  surrender  the  papers.  McFarlane  informed  him  that  he 
would  wait  until  the  women  and  children  had  withdrawn,  then  he 
would  begin  the  attack,  unless  his  demands  were  complied  with. 
The  women  withdrew,  and  then  the  firing  began  on  both  sides."  So 
Dr.  Carnahan,  whose  narrative  is  sustained  by  other  cotemporaries. 
The  discrepancies  in  the  diversified  accounts  are  not  material. 

After  several  rounds  on  both  sides,  the  firing  seemed  to  cease 
from  the  house.  Whereupon  McFarlane,  supposing  a  parley  was 
desired,  stepped  from  behind  a  sheltering  tree,  and  ordered  the 
firing  to  cease.     At  once  he  received,  from  the  house,  a  mortal  shot, 


jgo  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

and  in  a  few  minutes  expired.  The  assailants  were  now  an  ungo- 
vernable mob,  infuriate,  insatiate.  Without  orders,  some  one 
snapped  his  priming  in  the  straw  of  a  contiguous  .barn.  Soon  it 
was  all  ablaze,  and  the  fire  spread  from  it  to  other  outbuildings,  six 
in  number,  and  thence  to  the  mansion  house,  which,  being  all  of 
wood,  were  soon  consumed,  with  all  that  they  contained.  "  Kirk- 
patrick  surrendered,  and  with  his  command  was  permitted  to  leave 
uninjured."  Three  or  four  of  the  soldiers  were  wounded,  and  one 
lost  his  coat. 

The  more  soberminded  of  the  assailants  stood  aghast  at  the  ruin 
they  had  wrought.  It  was  more  than  they  intended;  but  they 
could  not  "  trammel  up  the  consequence."  Arson,  murder, 
treason  !  flashed  their  horrors  from  the  smoking  ruins,  and  restored 
some  to  their  right  mind.  Others  drowned  their  dismay  in  the  con- 
tents of  the  liquor  casks  which  they  rescued  from  the  well-stored 
wine-cellar. 

During  the  assault  the  marshal  and  Colonel  Presley  Neville,  the 
inspector's  son,  and  Major  Isaac  Craig,  his  son-in-law,  came  with  a 
supply  of  ammunition,  but  were  captured,  and  held  at  the  outer 
lines.  They  were  afterwards  released,  unhurt,  after  extorting  from 
the  marshal  a  promise  never  again  to  serve  any  writs  west  of  the 
mountains.  His  captors  tried  to  extend  this  obligation  to  not 
making  a  return  of  service  upon  those  he  had  served.  But,  on 
his  saying  that  his  oath  of  office  disabled  him  from  that,  they  let 
him  go.  This  shows  not  only  what  had  been  the  aim  of  the  array, 
but  that  reason  was  not  utterly  dethroned,  and  that  however  infuriate 
was  the  rage  towards  Neville,  it  did  not  extend  to  the  marshal. 
The  writs  were  returned  served,  but  the  suits  were  never  prosecuted. 

Slowly  and  sadly  the  dead  and  wounded  are  borne  from  the  field. 
Great  was  the  crowd  at  the  Mingo  church  graveyard,  at  the 
funeral  of  McFarlane.  It  was  the  Sabbath.  At  once  a  meeting  is 
appointed  at  the  meeting-house  on  the  next  Wednesday,  to  devise  a 
mode  of  extrication  from  the  perils  that  impended.  Runners  are 
sent  in  all  directions;  to  Pittsburgh,  for  Brackenridge  to  come  and 
tell  them  the  law ;  to  Washington,  for  David  Bradford,*  the  prose- 

*  This  man,  Bradford,  who  was  as  "unstable  as  water,"  denying 
to-day  what  ho  had  done  yesterday,  timid  when  ho  should  have  been 
resolute,  and  reckless  when  he  should  have  been  cautious,  became,  by 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY. 


39^ 


cuting  attorney,  who  had  been  a  noisy  declaimer  against  the  excise 
law ;  and  for  Colonel  James  Marshall,  then  perhaps  the  most  popular 
man  in  the  CQunty,  who  had  hitherto  only  countenanced  the  opposi- 
tion. At  first  they  refuse  any  further  co-operation,  then  hesitate, 
then  "saying  they  would  ne'er  consent,  consented."  To  them, 
and  many  others  who  had  a  name  and  property  to  conserve,  tar  and 
feathers,  fire  and  ruin,  were  held  up  as  "spurs  to  prick  the  sides  of 
their  intent."  Terror  and  alarm  pervaded  all  the  borders  of  Peter's 
creek  and  Mingo,  Pigeon  creek  and  Chartiers.  They  spread  like  an 
April  fire  in  the  forest.  Those  who  had  participated  in  the  attacks 
upon  Neville  now  found  themselves  in  the  predicament  of  Macbeth 
after  the  murder  of  Duncan  : 

" I  am  in  blood 


Slept  in  so  far,  tliat,  should  I  wade  no  more, 
Returning  were  as  tedious  as  go  o'er." 

And  on  they  went,  heedless  of  consequences.     The  guilty  saw  no 

his  folly  and  subserviency  to  the  lawless  classes  of  the  people,  the 
"  hero "  of  the  insurrection.  He  plotted  the  robbing  of  the  mail  to 
gratify  resentment,  and  procured  the  Braddock's  field  parade,  covertly 
to  rob  Fort  Fayette,  but  openly  for  display  and  his  own  glory.  He 
instigated  every  scheme  to  magnify  the  rebellion,  and  was  the  marplot 
of  every  eflbrt  to  calm  it  down,  only  in  the  end  to  go  down  with  it  him- 
self. 

He  was  a  Marylander,  having  come  into  what  became  Washington 
county,  while  it  was  under  the  Virginia  regime,  and  represented  one  of 
its  counties  in  the  Legislature  of  that  Commonwealtii.  He  settled  at 
Washington  as  a  lawyer,  and  held  a  respectable,  though  a  second-rate, 
position  in  a  Bar,  of  which  Addison,  Campbell,  Pentecost,  Purviance, 
and  Ross  were  members.  He  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Judge  James 
Allison  [The  Hon.  John  Allison,  a  grandson,  and  now  (1870)  Register 
of  the  Treasury  of  the  U.  S.,  has  Bradford's  papers],  one  of  Dr.  McMil- 
lan's Chartiers'  Elders,  and  is  said  to  have  sustained  the  sjime  relation 
to  Judge  Charles  Porter,  of  Fayette,  an  Elder  of  Dun  lap's  creek. 
Although  he  had  signed  the  terms  of  amnesty,  his  crimes  before  and 
after  so  doing  were  so  great  that  he  had  to  flee  upon  the  approach  of  the 
enemj'. 

Through  much  tribulation  he  managed  to  elude  pursuit  and  capture, 
and  made  his  wa3'  into  the  Spanish  territory  on  the  lower  Mississippi. 
There  he  became  a  successful  planter,  and  won  his  way  to  wealth  and 
a  fair  social  position.  He  is  said  to  have  died  about  1809.  A  grand- 
daughter became  the  wife  of  Richard  Brodhead,  U.  S.  Senator  from 
Pennsylvania,  1851-'57,  and  a  son  is  said  to  have  married  a  sister  of 
Jefferson  Davis. 


3<)a  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

Other  refuge  than  to  compel  the  innocent  to  combine  with  them, 
and  thereby  force  the  government  to  forgiveness.  To  shrink  was 
cowardice,  to  recant  was  treason  to  the  common  cause.*  From  ban- 
ners floating  upon  poles,  and  in  processions,  and  placarded  upon 
trees  and  sign  posts,  were  the  watchwords,  "Liberty  and  no  excise — 
death  to  cowards  and  traitors." 

The  meeting  at  Mingo  came  off  as  appointed.  It  was  one  of  the 
masses  from  all  the  surrounding  country,  but  few  from  a  distance. 
Many  of  the  best  men  of  the  land  were  there,  some  upon  compul- 
sion, others  to  prevent,  if  possible,  rash  measures.  Col.  Cook,  an 
associate  judge  of  Fayette,  one  of  Mr.  Finley's  Rehoboth  Elders,  was 
chairman;  Craig  Ritchie,  Esq.,  of  Canonsburgh,  secretary.  Brad- 
ford and  Marshall  were  for  war,  and  were  the  chief  speakers. 
Brackenridge  made  a  long  "  chameleon  speech,"  shifting  from 
grave  to  gay  so  adroitly  that  at  its  end,  as  ever  afterwards,  it  could 
not  be  told  whether  he  was  wiring  in  or  wiring  out.  The  avowed 
purpose  of  the  leaders  was  to  commit  the  whole  west  to  adoption  of 
the  crimes  already  perpetrated,  and  by  combination  to  procure  impu- 
nity. More  by  tact  than  by  argument,  this  failed  of  accomplish- 
ment. Impressed  with  the  belief  that  by  procrastination  the  fury 
would  subside,  the  men  at  the  helm  procured  the  only  result  of  the 
meeting  to  be  to  call  another,  of  delegates  from  all  the  townships 
in  the  survey,  to  be  held  at  Parkinson's  ferry  (Monongahela  City) 
on  August  14th,  "to  take  into  consideration  the  condition  of  the 
western  country."  This  was  the  culminating  point  of  the  convul- 
sion, the  perihelion  of  the  baleful  planet.  For  a  while  it  shed  alter- 
nate gloom  and  glare  all  over  the  western  counties,  in  its  convul- 
sive efforts  to  advance  beyond  its  destined  bound.  In  quick  succes- 
sion came  the  robbing  of  the  mail ;  the  cabal  of  the  conspirators — 
Bradford,  Canon,  Marshall,  Parkinson,  and  three  others — at 
Canonsburgh  ;  the  suppression  of  all  the  other  offices  in  the  survey, 
embracing  those  of  Wells  in  Fayette,  which  was  burnt,  and  in  West- 
moreland, which  was  eventually  captured.  That  of  Webster,  on 
Stony  Creek,  was  given  up,  and  the  sign  taken  down  from  Bouquet's 
old  brick  "  Redoubt,"  in- Pittsburgh.  Every  arm  of  the  excise  was 
cut   off,   and   the  law,   for  a  while,    "repealed."*     The  expiring 

*  It  was  not  repealed  by  Congress  until  April  9th,  1802.    It  was 
renewed  by  act  of  July  24th,  1813,  but  with  much  less  obnoxious  provi- 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  jgj 

blaze  of  the  fiery  orb  was  in  the  display  at  Braddock's  field,  on  the 
I  St  and  2d  days  of  August.  It  went  up  like  a  rocket  and  came 
down  the  merest  stick. 

At  last  the  avenging  arm  of  the  Government,  too  long  witliheld, 
was  raised  for  the  restoration  of  order.  In  proportion  as  it  terrified 
the  turbulent,  it  gave  confidence  to  the  many  good  citizens  who 
had  hitherto  been  discouraged,  or  deterred  from  interference  in  the 
commotions  which  oppression  had  provoked,  but  the  enormities  of 
which  it  had  become  unmanly  to  palliate  and  criminal  to  justify. 
Henceforth,  every  meeting  of  the  people  tended  to  submission.  The 
army  came  only  to  witness  its  consummation,  and,  in  the  end,  to 
perpetrate  greater  outrages  upon  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  inno- 
cent, than  any,  or  all,  which  the  excise  officers  had  suffered.  The 
Government  Amj^sated  them  for  all  their  losses,  and  restored 
them  to  their  offices.  But  for  the  wrongs  which  many  of  the  best 
of  our  people  endured,  on  the  "  dreadful  night  "  of  November  13th, 
and  in  the  JDrisons  of  Philadelphia,  there  was  no  redress. 

My  task  is  done.  I  set  out  in  this,  I  fear  too  tiresome,  ramble, 
not  to  give  a  history  of  the  insurrection,  but  only  to  trace  its  rise 
and  progress,  its  causes  and  its  character,  the  basis  upon  which  it 
rested,  and  the  materials  of  which  it  was  constructed.  The  facts 
are  familiar;  I  have  aimed  only  to  set  them  in  a  just  and  orderly 
array.  If  the  deductions  I  have  drawn  from  them  seem  to  any  of 
you  to  be  strained,  or  illogical,  all  I  can  say  is,  that  they  are  such 
as  a  careful  study  and  an  unbiased  purpose  constrained  me  to  make. 
The  subject,  I  know,  is  a  fossil,  dead,  dry,  and  denuded.  But  every 
now  and  then  it  assumes  a  spectral  form,  and  stalks  athwart  the 
paths  of  past  memories,  pointing  its  slow  unmoving  finger  of  scorn 
at  the  stain  upon  our  escutcheon,  which  long  accredited  history  has 
incrusted.  I  have  felt  that  it  is  high  time  to  lay  the  ghost,  and  wipe 
out  the  stain.  If  I  have  done  a  work  of  supererogation,  it  is  because 
you  invited  me  to  the  effort ;  if  too  much  of  it,  I  could  not  make  it 
less,  consistently  with  the  duty  imposed  of  doing  all  that  truth  re- 


sions.  Our  people  endured  it  then  without  complaint.  This  act  was 
repealed  Decern  ber  23,  1817  ;  and  no  renewal  until  after  the  late  Southern 
Rebellion.  Its  mode  of  operation  seems  exceedingly  productive  of  cor- 
ruption.   Better  repeal  it,  or  go  back  to  the  license  plan  of  1813. 


3()4  PRESB  YTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

quired  to  rescue  this  goodly  heritage  we  now  for  a  while  possess, 
from  the  reproach  of  having  been  the  seat  of  a  "  rebellion"  incited 
only  by  a  hatred  of  government  and  a  love  of  whiskey.*  Turn  we 
now  to  some  of  the  more  pleasing  features  and  sequences  of  the  con- 
vulsion. 

Except  in  some  of  the  insane  ravings  of  Bradford,  and  a  hint  from 
Brackenridge  that  vindictiveness  by  the  Government  might  lead  to 
that  extremity,  there  was,  at  no  time,  in  the  eruptive  period,  any 
well-developed  design  to  secede  from  the  Union,  or  the  State.  The 
New  State  project  had  been  too  long  dead  to  be  revived ;  and  many 
of  the  active  anti-excise  men  had  been  among  its  decided  oppo- 
nents— conspicuously,  Colonel  Marshall.  Besides,  they  could  not 
stand  alone ;  and  where  could  they  go  ?  As  General  Wilkins  said, 
"  it  was  only  the  excise  law  that  was  repealed, '^nd  .fts  officers  dis- 
owned. All  others,  though  for  a  while  silent,  remai^led  in  full  force. 
One  of  the  resolutions  prepared  by  Bradford  and  Marshall,  for  the 
first  Parkinson's  Ferry  meeting,  was  to  that  effect. f  The  disease 
was  on  the  surface ;   the  vitals  were  sound. 

Throughout  all  the  reign  of  terror  that  followed  the  fatal  15th  of 
July,  every  minister  of  our  faith — I  speak  not  of  others — and  nearly, 
if  not  quite  all  the  elders — conspicuously  Judges  Edgar  and  Mc- 
Dowell, of  Washington,  and  Cook,  of  Fayette — were  untiring  in  their 
efforts  to  restrain  violence  and  promote  submission.  And  it  is  a 
most  commendable  characteristic  of  the  people,  however  turbulent, 
that  no  minister  was  ever  threatened  or  insulted.  Indeed,  they,  for 
a  while,  were  almost  the  only  persons  that  dare  be  outspoken  against 
the  fury  of  the  times.  If  their  counsels  were  not  always  heeded,  it 
was  because  of  countervailing  influences  too  low  for  them  to  reach, 
or  too  obdurate  for  them  to  subdue. 

Especially  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Porter,  of  Congruity,  and  still 
more  especially,  Dr,  McMillan,  active  and  efficient.  They  were 
men  "  of  the  people  and  for  the  people ;"  bold,  but  prudent ;  fertile 
of  expedients  and  undaunted  by  a  failure.     If  repulsed  once,  it  was 

•  See  Appendix  No.  6. 

t  "That  we  will,  with  the  rest  of  our  fellow-citizens,  support  the  laws 
and  government  of  the  respective  States  in  which  we  live,  and  the  laws 
and  government  of  the  United  States,  the  excise  law  and  the  taking 
citizens  out  of  their  respective  counties  only  excepted." 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  J95 


"  try,  try  again."  This  was  the  palmy  period  of  the  Doctor's  vigor 
and  influence.  To  his  multiform  labors  he  added  now,  and  for 
some  years  afterwards,  those  of  a  politician ;  by  which  must  be  un- 
derstood, not  the  tricks  and  flattery  by  which  too  many  rise  to  popu- 
lar favor,  but  a  watchfulness  over,  and  moulding  of,  public  senti- 
ment on  great  questions  of  State,  and  selecting  the  best  available 
men  to  subserve  the  common  weal.  And  whatsoever  his  hand  found 
to  do,  in  that  as  in  all  other  things,  he  did  it  with  all  his  might. 

Before  the  President,  as  a  last  resort,  ordered  out  the  army,  he 
kindly  sent  three  commissioners,  Senator  Ross,  Attorney-General 
Bradford,  and  Judge  Yeates,  with  whom  Governor  Mifflin  joined 
General  Irvine  and  Chief-Justice  McKean,  to  negotiate  terms  of 
peace,  and  offer  amnesty,  and  eventually  pardon,  for  all-  past 
offences,  upon  condition  that  a  sufficiently  decided  majority  of  the 
people  would  openly  declare  their  submission  to  the  laws  in  general, 
and  to  the  excise  law  in  particular.  All  males  over  eighteen  years 
of  age,  the  guilty  and  the  innocent,  were  required  to  vote,  and  then, 
those  for  submission  to  sign  an  obligation  to  that  effect.  The  day 
appointed  was  September  nth,  at  the  usual  places  of  holding  elec- 
tions in  districts  and  townships.  To  obtain  the  requisite  evidence 
'  of  submission  was  vitally  important :  to  the  community  generally, 
to  save  it  from  armed  invasion ;  to  the  turbulent  and  criminal,  to 
screen  them  from  punishment.  To  the  rebellious  it  was  a  boon, 
but  repulsive  to  those  who  had  not  offended ;  hence,  many  declined 
to  attend.  The  evidence  obtained  was  not  satisfactory,  and  the 
army  came.* 

The  "seat  of  war,"  as  we  have  seen,  was  chiefly  upon  Peters, 
Mingo,  and  Pigeon  creeks.  Within  one  of  the  election  districts, 
presumed  to  be  Somerset  or  Nottingham,  and  reaching  over  much 
of  the  Doctor's  Pigeon  Creek  congregation,  there  were  many  who 
had  special  need  of  the  offered  amnesty.  These  came  in  force,  but 
on  purpose  to  oppose  submission ;  and  the  Doctor  attended  to  pro- 
mote it,  taking  with  him  Judge  Edgar,  whose  township  did  not  need 
his  services.     Speakers  were  there  to  advocate  and  oppose.     The 

♦The  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  army,  sent  to  suppress  the  Insur- 
rection, was  Colonel  Henry  liee,  of  Virginia,  "Light-borse  Harry  "of 
the  Revolntion,  and  then  Governor  of  Virginia.  He  was  the  father  of 
the  late  "  Confederate  "  General,  Robert  E.  Lee. 


3()6  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

judge  made  an  able,  conciliatory  address,  but  to  no  good  pur- 
pose. He  was  hissed  and  pelted  with  mud  and  stones.  The  table 
upon  which  the  papers  to  be  signed  were  laid  was  carried  away, 
and  the  meeting  broken  up  in  an  uproar.  Some  of  the  members  of 
the  Doctor's  church  were  implicated,  as  well  in  this  as  in  the  pre- 
ceding disturbances.  He  was  alarmed,  but  not  disheartened.  A 
Communion  of  the  Supper  had  been  appointed  for  an  early  day. 
At  once  he  had  it  postponed,  with  a  view  to  debar  the  perverse  from 
the  ordinance,  or  bring  them  to  a  better  state  of  mind.  To  this 
end,  a  meeting  was  appointed  at  the  meeting-house,  and  Mr.  Porter 
sent  for  to  preach  and  persuade.  At  the  set  time  he  came.  There 
was  a  large  attendance ;  for  the  people  had  begun  to  repent  of  their 
folly  aiid  wickedness.  The  Doctor  prayed  and  exhorted.  Mr. 
Porter  preached  from  Romans  xiii.  1-7.  Coming  to  \\-\^  application 
of  his  discourse  to  the  times,  he  noticed  some  frowns,  and  many 
rising  to  leave.  At  once  he  changed  his  tone,  told  an  anecdote, 
and  so  held  the  audience.  By  reason  and  pleasantry  nearly  all  were 
brought  to  agree  to  submit.*  Although  too  late  to  be  effective  with 
the  commissioners,  it  restored  the  recusant  to  favor  in  the  Church, 
and  had  a  salutary  influence  over  all  that  turbulent  region. 

All  this  was  within  the  acknowledged  sphere  of  ministerial  duty. 
But  the  Doctor  went  further,  and  carried  his  commanding  influence 
into  a  field  from  which  the  clergy  are  generally  excluded. 

In  October,  1794,  just  as  the  "Insurrection"  was  cooling  down 
into  submission,  and  when  the  army  was  on  its  march  to  quench  the 
embers,  a  member  of  Congress  was  to  be  elected  from  the  district 
composed  of  the  counties  of  Washington,  which  then  included 
Greene,  and  Allegheny,  which  then  extended  to  Lake  Erie,  but 
without  much  population  north  of  the  Allegheny  river.  Four  can- 
didates had  been  announced  :  Thomas  Scott,  of  Washington,  then 
a  member;  David  Hamilton,  also  of  Washington  county;  John 
Woods,  of  Pittsburgh,  brother-in-law  of  James  Ross,  then  United 
States  Senator,  and  Hugh  Henry  Brackenridge,  the  long-time 
enemy  of  Woods,  well  known  in  those  days  as  a  versatile  lawyer, 

*  Memoir  of  Rev.  Samuel  Porter,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Camaban,  in  Sprague's 
Annals,  Vol.  I.  Tlie  elder  Brackenridge  tells  the  story  somewiiat  dif- 
ferently, in  his  "  Incidents,"  Part  U.,  20;  but  I  prefer  to  follow  Dr.  Car- 
nalian. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  J97 

and  afterwards  as  an  author,  and  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Pennsylvania.  Scott  was  a  fair  man,  had  owed  his  two  prior  elec- 
tions to  having  been  on  general  tickets,  had  voted  for  the  excise 
law,  and  was  therefore  supposed  not  to  have  much  show  of  success. 
Hamilton  had  been  a  blatant  and  fierce  insurrectionist.  Woods  had 
been  decidedly  the  other  way,  but,  having  sustained  defeats  in 
former  contests,  had  lost  whatever  of  prestige  his  qualifications  had 
given  him.  Brackenridge  was  commonly  believed  to  have  paltered 
with  the  people  in  a  double  sense  during  tlie  recent  convulsions,  and 
had  not  the  entire  confidence  of  either  party.  Moreover,  having,  in 
earlier  life,  *' resigned"' his  license  from  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Castle  to  preach,  and  learned  to  swear,  he  was  not  the  man  for  Dr. 
McMillan.  Though  his  popularity  was  rapidly  waning,  there 
seemed  some  danger,  in  the  Doctor's  eye,  of  his  election.  He  saw 
the  necessity  of  bringing  out  some  new  man  of  strength.  To  this 
end  he  called  together  a  few  good  and  trusty  men,  at  Canonsburgh, 
about  ten  days  before  the  election,  and  had  Albert  Gallatin 
announced  as  a  candidate.  It  is  said^  and  is  probably  true,  that 
this  was  done  without  Mr.  Gallatin's  knowledge.  He  did  not 
reside  in  the  district — never  did;  but  lived  in  Fayette,  near  "Mount 
Moriah"  and  New  Geneva,  and  was  then  a  candidate  for  re-election 
to  the  Assembly  from  that  county.  The  Doctor  caused  his  tickets 
for  Congress  to  be  printed  and  distributed ;  not  a  very  arduous 
undertaking,  as  there  were  but  six  election  districts  in  Washington 
county,  and  not  more  in  Allegheny. 

Why  Dr.  McMillan  took  hold  of  Mr.  Gallatin  may  appear  rather 
inexplicable.  It  is  probable  they  were  personally  unacquainted. 
He  was  not  a  Presbyterian,  though  born  and  nurtured  in  the  Cal- 
vinistic  city  of  Geneva.  In  the  early  stages  of  opposition  to  the 
excise  law,  he  had  been  a  leader  of  the  array  against  it,  a  member 
of  the  Pittsburgh  meeting  of  August,  1792,  and  probably  the  author 
of  its  "intemperate"  resolutions,  for  which  Secretary  Hamilton 
sought  to  have  him  indicted.  But  at  all  the  deliberative  meetings 
which  had  taken  place  after  the  convulsion  culminated,  he  had 
openly,  fearlessly,  and  effectively  advocated  submission;  and  by 
tact  and  eloquence  broken  every  movement  towards  further  resist- 
ance. This  gave  him  favor  and  influence  with  all  right-minded 
men.     He  was  with  the  current.     He  was  the  proper  man  for  the 


3g8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

place,  in  the  Doctor's  discerning  eye,  and  for  success.  In  this  he 
reckoned  rightly,  for  Gallatin  was  elected  by  a  decided  plurality,  and 
was  also,  on  the  same  day,  elected  to  the  Assembly  from  Fayette, 
in  which  his  term  of  service  expired  before  he  was  required  to  take 
his  seat  in  Congress.*  In  this  way  Dr.  McMillan  was  instrumental 
in  bringing  into  the  national  councils  one  of  the  ablest  statesmen  of 
the  age. 

This  coup  d'etat  of  the  Doctor  was  not  calculated  to  give  him 
much  favor  in  the  eyes  of  Brackenridge,  but  it  served  to  impress 
him  with  an  exalted  estimate  of  the  Doctor's  power  in  the  State,  as 
well  as  in  the  church,  and  led  him  to  assume  that  he  would  have 
great  influence  with  Gallatin.  An  occasion  came  to  put  that  matter 
to  a  test. 

A  great  ferment  was  raised  in  the  country,  and  in  the  Congress 
of  1796,  over  Jay's  treaty  of  November,  1794,  with  England. 
Though  it  secured  the  surrender  of  the  western  posts,  and  averted  a 
war,  it  was  fiercely  denounced  as  an  abandonment  of  important 
rights. 

Its  sanction  was  made  a  test  question  between  the  two  great  par- 
ties of  the  nation,  then  just  being  crystalized  into  enduring  antago- 
nism. To  carry  it  into  effect  required  some  legislation  by  Congress, 
and  the  battle  was  being  fought  in  the  House,  of  which  Gallatin  was 
a  member.  Brackenridge,  though  in  private  station,  manifested 
great  anxiety  in  favor  of  the  treaty  by  voice  and  pen.  Judge  Addi- 
son, then  of  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  also  advocated  it.  Though 
soon  to  become  hostile,  these  distinguisJied  men  were  then  friends, 
and  worked  together.  Gallatin,  though  of  the  Franco -democratic 
school,  had  not  yet  given  such  decided  indications  of  where  he 
stood  on  the  treaty  question  as  to  preclude  a  hope  of  drawing  or 
driving  him  into  its  support.  It  was  to  accomplish- this  that  Brack- 
enridge, through  his  friend,  Judge  Addison,  invoked  the  aid  and 
influence  of  Dr.  McMillan,  the  evidence  of  which  is  in  the  following 
extracts  from  letters  of  Brackenridge  to  Addison  : — 

Under  date  of  February  8,  1796,  he  writes  :  "I  tell  you  a  plan 
that  would  shake  Gallatin  in  all  his  politics  of  opposition  to  the 

*  The  Legislature  set  aside  the  elections  of  this  year  for  all  its  mem- 
bers in  the  four  western  counties,  because  of  the  "  Insurrection."  They 
were  all  re-elected  in  February,  1795,  except  one  who  declinod. 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  jgg 

treaty — if  one  McMillan  could  be  set  upon  him.  What  if  you  were 
to  ride  out  and  converse  with  Father  Polycarp,  or  rather — (I  forget 
what) — and  put  him  upon  him.  He  does  not  want  sense,  and  I 
presume  you  could  get  him  to  understand  the  debate  before  the 
House." 

Again,  under  date  of  April  30th,  1796,  he  writes:  "The  fact  is, 
that  unless  Cardinal  McMillan  can  be  brought  over,  Gallatin  will 
conquer,  and  have  the  popular  side.  I  have  some  trust  in  his  under- 
standing, so  that  if  complimented  on  his  judgment  and  firmness  in 
Tom  the  Tinker's  day,  he  may  sit  right.  He  will  give  the  tone  to 
all  the  missionaries  of  his  ministry.  No  pains  ought  to  be  spared 
to  engage  him." 

Again,  in  the  same  letter:  "A  small  letter  from  McMillan  to 
Gallatin  would  settle  the  matter,  for  it  is  on  McMillan  he  counts, 
and  is  secure.  It  ought  to  be  demanded  of  McMillan,  that  as  he  sent 
him,  he  should  keep  him  right." 

It  seems  the  Judge  did  visit  the  "  cardinal,"  and  was  successful  in 
enlisting  his  influence  in  favor  of  the  treaty,  for,  on  the  12th  of 
May,  1796,  after  sermon  on  a  fast-day,  at  Chartiers,  the  Doctor 
announced  to  thfe  people  that  * '  business  of  a  public  nature  of  great 
importance  "  demanded  their  consideration.  At  once  the  congre- 
gation resolved  itself  into  a  council  on  political  affairs.  The  Doctor 
was  chosen  chairman,  and  Craig  Ritchie,  secretary.  The  chair 
stated  the  critical  condition  of  the  country,  and  the  imminent  dan- 
ger of  war  with  England  and  the  Indians,  if  the  treaty  was  not  car- 
ried out  in  good  faith.  After  discussion,  a  strong  resolution  was 
adopted  in  favor  of  the  treaty.  A  petition  to  Congress,  in  accor- 
dance with  the  resolution,  was  signed  by  all  present,  and  the  Doctor 
directed  to  write  to  all  his  ministerial  brethren  west  of  the  moun- 
tains, requesting  them  to  call  meetings  to  take  the  sentiments  of 
their  people  on  the  subject,*  thus  carrying  out  the  wishes  of  Brack- 
enridge  in  close  conformity  with  his  "  plan." 

Brackenridge  exults  over  the  achievement,  in  another  letter  to 
Addison,  dated  May  20th,  1796  :  "  The  obtaining  of  the  patronage 
of  the  Rev.  John  McMillan,  whom  I  denominate  the  Patriarch  of 
the  Western  Church,  was  a  grand  acquisition.     It  secures  our  flanks 

*  Creigh's  History  of  Washington  County,  114. 


400  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

perfectly.  But  for  this,  Findley  [of  Westmoreland]  and  Gallatin 
would  not  have  respected  our  attempts  to  regulate  them.  They  will 
now  dread  it." 

The  movement,  however,  failed  to  "regulate"  Gallatin  into  sup- 
port of  the  treaty.  He  spoke  and  voted  on  the  other  side.  Findley 
dodged.  But  the  required  legislation  was  had,  and  all  went  off  as 
Brackenridge  wished,  except  that  he  was  not  able  to  prostrate  Galla- 
tin. He  maintained  his  favor  with  the  people  against  every  assault, 
until  called  to  the  head  of  the  Treasury  Department  by  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, in  1 80 1,  where  he  remained  until  181 4,  the  longest  tenure  of 
that  office  ever  held  by  any  incumbent. 

After  this  the  Doctor  seems  to  have  given  no  special  attention  to 
political  affairs.  They  had  come  to  be  swayed  by  men  with  whom 
he  could  not  affiliate,  and  by  influences  which  he  did  not  care  to 
encounter.  Henceforth,  until  the  end  of  his  long  pilgrimage,  he 
gave  his  energies,  his  time,  his  means,  his  very  being,  to  the  cause 
of  his  Master,  his  congregation,  the  church  he  loved,  and  the  college 
he  founded. 

When  Dr.  Guthrie  was  told  that  Chalmers,  the  champion  of  the 
Free  Church  of  Scotland,  was  dead,  "Ah!"  said  he,  "men  of  his 
calibre  are  like  the  great  trees  of  the  forest,  we  don't  know  their 
size  till  they  are  down."  So  it  has  been  with  Dr.  McMillan.  The 
honors  that  are  now  being  paid  to  his  character,  his  labors,  and 
his  teachings,  prove  that,  however  justly  they  were  recognized  while 
he  lived,  the  lengthening  shadows  of  the  grave  but  add  to  their 
grandeur.  That  he  had  his  peculiarities  is  most  true.  He  could 
not  have  been  great  without  them.  And  they  were  such  as  exactly 
suited  the  times  in  which,  and  the  people  among  whom,  he  lived 
and  labored.  Those  who  did  not  know  him,  or  upon  whom  his 
reproofs  have  fallen,  have  called  him  rude,  unfeeling,  and  repulsive. 
They  have  not  judged  him  rightly.  Not  much  sand-paper  and 
varnish  had  been  used  in  his  make-up.  But  a  kinder  heart  never 
beat  in  a  manly  breast.  If  there  was  any  one  foible  of  humanity 
which,  more  than  another,  he  abhorred,  it  ^zs, pride;  and  he  smote 
it  in  whatever  form  it  reared  its  head,  whether  it  was  in  dress,  equi- 
page, person,  or  religion.  His  teachings  on  that  branch  of  ethics 
seldom  required  more  than  one  lesson.  That  he  built  up,  from  the 
shade  of  a  sugar  tree,  perhaps  the  largest  church  in  the  country,  and 


THE  SECULAR  HISTORY.  401 

held  the  pastorate  for  more  than  half  a  century  over  as  intelligent 
and  refined  a  people  as  was  anywhere  in  the  West,  may  be  success- 
fully pleaded  in  bar  to  all  these  accusations.  No  people  ever  loved 
their  pastor  more.  Their  descendants  still  revere  his  memory,  and 
garland  his  grave.  He  aided  pecuniarily,  and  otherwise,  and  gave 
gratuitous  instruction,  to  more  poor  young  men  than  has  ever  been 
given  by  any  other  man,  though  possessing  tenfold  the  means.  He 
denied  himself  the  luxuries  of  life  that  others  might  luxuriate  in 
learning,  and  sent  forth  heralds  of  the  cross  in  a  multitude  which  no 
man  has  yet  numbered.  He  fought  error  and  infidelity  in  every 
shape  which  it  assumed.  He  was  a  sleepless  watchman  upon  the 
towers  and  at  the  portals  of  his  Zion,  and  if  he  could  not  hurl 
impostors  over  its  ramparts,  he  transfixed  them  to  the  walls  and  held 
them  there. 

For  all  this  he  was  admirably  fitted  by  nature  and  by  grace. 
Byron,  in  one  of  his  poems,  ejaculates:  "Oh!  for  a  forty-parson 
power!"  What  degree  of  power  he  wished  for  I  cannot  tell.  We 
are  wont  to  estimate  the  power  of  steam  by  the  unit  of  strength  of 
a  horse ;  but  parson-power  is  a  new  test.  If  any  mortal  man  in  the 
ministry  ever  possessed  it  forty-fold,  it  was  Dr.  McMillan.  Perhaps 
Sidney  Smith  was  thinking  of  that  when  he  compared  Daniel  Web- 
ster to  a  "steam  engine  in  trowsers."  If  he  had  seen  the  Doctor 
in  his  prime,  and  heard  his  stentorian  voice,  and  witnessed  his  ges- 
tures with  his  whole  massive  frame,  he  would  have  had  to  say  he 
was  an  engine  in  small  clothes.  He  had  a  most  commanding  pre- 
sence, and  was  endowed  with  a  physical  constitution  which,  until 
worn  out,  was  a  stranger  to  disease,  and  knew  no  fatigue.  For 
many  years  the  youngest  man  in  his  Presbytery,  he  was  its  leader 
from  the  start ;  not  because  he  sought  to  be,  but  because  he  could 
not  disown  the  prominence  for  which  God  had  made  him.  And 
although  it  was  among  the  last  wishes  of  his  life  that  the  world  would 
soon  forget  that  such  a  man  as  he  had  ever  lived,  the  world  and  the 
Church  will  be  waning  to  their  final  goal  when  his  memory  will 
cease  to  be  jrevered.  For  whether  you  trace  the  career  of  Western 
Presbyterianism  in  the  gospel  he  preached  d.ViA  its  influences,  or  in  its 
religious,  ecclesiastical,  educational,  or  missionary  history,  or  in  its 
secular  relations,  you  cannot  escape  commemorating  the  life  and 
labors  of  John  McMillan. 
2  A 


APPENDIXES  TO  SECULAR  HISTORY. 


No.  I. 
JOHN  CONNOLLY  AND  TORIES.     (See  pp.  313  and  340.) 

This  once  renowned,  but  now  forgotten  renegade,  was  respectably  con- 
nected. He  was  a  half-brother  of  Gen.  James  Ewing,  of  York  county,  a 
valuable  Revolutionary  officer,  eminent  also  in  civil  services,  and  one  of  tlie 
first  trustees  of  Dickinson  College.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Sample,  Washington's  host,  at  the  S.  E.  corner  of  Water  and  Ferry 
Streets,  in  1770,  as  related  in  the  text.  Washington  thought  well  of  him 
then,  and  subsequently  corresponded  with  him  about  western  lands.  He 
says  he  was  a  nephew  of  Col.  Croghan,  the  Indian  agent,  and  was  a 
"  very  sensible,  intelligent  man,  who  had  traveled  over  a  good  deal  of  the 
western  country,  both  by  land  and  water,"  and  had  much  at  heart  a 
colony  on  the  Cumberland  river. 

While  he  was  a  prisoner,  in  1777,  Gen.  Ewing  became  bondsman  for 
his  good  behavior,  and  took  him  to  his  farm  to  regain  his  health  ;  but  he 
soon  betrayed  this  confidence,  and  was  recommitted  to  prison. 

He  owned  much  of  the  land  on  which  the  city  of  Louisville  is  built, 
under  deeds  from  Dunmore,  in  common  with  Col.  John  Campbell,  one  of 
his  Pittsburgh  confreres  and  Virginia  justices,  to  whom  he  made  deeds  of 
partition  and  mortgage  after  his  imprisonment. 

When  arrested  in  Maryland,  with  two  accomplices,  he  had  most  of  his 
papers  very  artfully  concealed,  under  Duninore's  supervision,  in  the 
"mailpillion  "  of  his  portmanteau  horse.  Enough  were  found  to  con- 
demn him,  and  reveal  his  purposes.  He  tried  to  seduce  Col.  John  Gibson, 
of  Pittsburgh,  uncle  of  the  late  Chief  Justice  Gibson,  but  failed.  He  suc- 
ceeded better  in  corrupting  Alexander  McKee,  Matthew  Elliott,  and 
Simon  Girty,  who  joined  the  British  in  1778. 

Early  in  1781,  after  his  release  from  prison,  he  is  believed  to  have 
plotted  an  attack  upon  Pittsburgh  and  other  western  ports,  as  related  in 
the  following  extract  from  a  letter  of  Gen.  Washington  to  the  President 
of  Congress,  dated  April  25,  1781 :  "  I  have  received  the  following  intel- 
ligence, viz.:  Col.  Connolly,  with  his  corps,  to  proceed  to  Quebec  as  soon 
as  possible,  to  be  joined  in  Canada  by  Sir  John  Johnson,  with  a  number 

402 


APPENDIX  TO  SECULAR  HISTORY.  403 

of  Tories  and  Indians,  said  to  amount  to  three  thousand  [the  number  must 
be  exaggerated].  Their  route  to  be  by  Birch  Island,  Lake  Ontario,  and 
Venango.  His  object  is  Fort  Pitt  and  all  the  adjacents  post^.  Connolly 
takes  with  him  a  number  of  commissions  to  persons  now  residing  at  Pitts- 
burgh ;  and  several  hundred  men  at  that  place  have  agreed  to  join  to 
make  prisoners  of  Col.  Brodhead  and  all  friends  of  America.  The  latter 
part  of  this  intelligence  agrees  exactly  with  a  discovery  which  Col.  Brod- 
head has  lately  made  of  a  correspondence  between  persons  at  Fort  Pitt 
and  the  commandant  at  Detroit,  some  of  whom  have  been  seized  by  him. 
I  have  communicetad  the  above  to  Col.  Brodhead,  and  directed  him  to 
secure  or  remove  every  suspected  person  in  the  vicinity  of  his  post." — 
"  Pennsylvania  Archives,"  ix.,  102. 

This  letter  strongly  corroborates  the  statements  of  Gen.  Brodhead,  as 
Qopied  in  the  text.  The  late  Neville  B.  Craig,  in  his  "  History  of  Pitts- 
burgh" (p.  162),  intimates^  doubt  upon  this  evidence  whether  Connolly 
was  not  over  sanguine  in  counting  upon  many  Tories  here.  He,  however, 
seems  not  to-  have  seen  Gen.  Brodhead's  letter. 

He  renewed  the  effort  against  Pittsburgh  in  1782,  and  had  gone  so  far 
as  to  have  his  forces  collected  on  Lake  Chatauqua,  ready  for  a  descent, 
when  a  spy  reported  that  Gen.  Irvine,  then  in  command  at  Pittsburgh, 
had  all  things  in  readiness  to  repel  the  attack,  and  it  was  abandoned.  It 
is  probable  that  he  instigated  the  raid  which  was  consummated  in  the 
burning  of  Hannastown,  in  July,  1782. 

His  last  appearance  was  in  Kentucky,  in  1788,  in  an  effort  to  procure 
discontented  spirits  there  to  join  with  the  Governor  of  Canada  in  the 
seizure  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  opening  of  the  Mississippi  to  western 
commerce,  but  he  was  driven  away. 

His  career  in  detail  may  be  traced  through  all  the  documentary  annals 
of  his  day  :  Washington's  Journal  of  1770 ;  Pennsylvania  Archives  and 
Colonial  Eecords,  and  Journals  of  Congress ;  aiso,  in  Craig's  "  Olden 
Time;"  Spark's  "Washington,  vols.  II.,  III.,  VIII.,  IX.;  and  see  Bancroft's 
U.  S.  VII.,  161 ;  Albach's  "  Western  Annals,"  492 ;  Butler's  Kentucky 
(2d  ed.),  183,  and  Creigh's  Hist.  Wash.  Co.,  Appendix,  pp.  18,  19,  20. 


No.   2. 
MOUNT  MORIAH  AND  COL.  WILSON.     (See  p.  325.) 
The  deed  is  to  Col.  George  Wilson  and  John  Swearingen  as  trustees. 
The  latter  was  the  father  of  Van  Swearingen,  a  distinguished  officer  in 
Morgan's  rifle  regiment  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  for  a  while  a  West- 
moreland justice  of  the  peace,  residing  in  (now)  Fayette,  opposite  Green- 


404  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

field,  one  of  the  trustees  for  organizing  Washington  county,  and  its  firs 
sheriff. 

Col.  Greorge  Wilson  is  a  historic  character.  He  was  a  Virginian,  from 
Augusta  county,  where  he  had  been  an  officer  in  the  French  and  Indian 
war  of  1755-62.  He  came  to  the  West  about  1768-9,  and  settled  on  the 
land  where  New  Geneva  now  is,  owning  the  land  on  the  river,  on  both 
sides  of  George's  creek,  to  which  it  is  believed  he  gave  name,  and  being 
from  a  locality  in  Augusta,  called  Springhill,  he  caused  that  name  to  be 
given  to  the  township  in  which  he  resided.  He  was  a  Pennsylvania  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  there  while  it  was  part  of  Bedford  county,  and  his 
commission  was  renewed  for  Westmoreland.  Pennsylvania  had  no  more 
resolute  oSicer  than  he  was  in  all  our  boundary  troubles,  of  which  fre- 
quent mention  is  made  in  the  text  of  the  preceding  sketches.  He  died  in 
the  service  of  his  country  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Eighth  Pennsyl- 
vania Regiment,  Col.  -iEneas  McKay,  at  Quibbletown,  N.  J.,  in  April, 
1777.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  the  late  Hon.  William  G.  Hawkins, 
Senior,  of  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  and  of  Lawrence  L.  Minor,  Esquire, 
and  the  late  Mrs.  John  Crawford,  of  Greensboro,  Greene  county.  Dr. 
McMillan  enjoyed  his  hospitalities  for  three  days  and  nights  upon  his 
emergence  from  the  bewildering  forest  paths  of  West  Yirginia,  as  told  in 
"  Old  Redstone,"  181. 


No.   3. 
BEDFORD  COUNTY  TAX  ROLLS,  1773.     (See  p.  304.) 

These  old  rolls  show  that  all  the  settled  parts  of  Western  Pennsylvania, 
which  in  1773  became  Westmoreland  county,  were  then  included  in  eight 
townships,  the  taxables  of  which  were  as  follows : 

Landholders.  Tenants,  Single. 

Armstrong 42  1  9 

Fairfield 75  2  7 

Hempfield 171  22  17 

Mt.  Pleasant 83  13  13 

Pitt 52  20  13 

Rosstrevor 88  19  14 

Springhill* 308  '  89  58 

Tyrone 92  8  13 

These  townships  are  believed  to  have  embraced  the  following  territo- 
rial areas,  viz.:  Armstrong,  most  of  what  is  now  the  county  of  that  name, 
and  some,  if  not  the  greater  part  of  Indiana  county.  Fairfield  stretched 
y>etween  the  Laurel  Hill  and  Chesnut  Ridge  Mountains.     Hempfield  took 

*  Of  whom,  say  150,  of  all  classes,  were  in  Greene  county. 


APPENDIX  TO  SECULAR  HISTORY.  403 

ill  a  wide  slope  around  Greensburgh.  Mt.  Pleasant,  a  large  district 
around  the  village  of  that  name.  Pitt  embraced  about  all  of  Allegheny 
county,  between  the  rivers  Allegheny,  Monongahela,  and  Youghiogheny. 
It  makes  a  poor  show.  Kosstrevor  covered  all  of  the  forks  of  Yough,  up 
into  Fayette  county.  Springhill  extended  over  all  the  southwestern  part 
of  Fayette,  and  all  of  Greene  and  Washington,  then  believed  to  be  in 
Pennsylvania.  Tyrone  covered  all  the  residue  of  what  is  now  Fayette,  on 
both  sides  of  the  Youghiogheny. 

Many  of  those  assessed  as  landholders  were  non-residents;  as  Rev. 
James  Finley,  in  Rosstrevor,  and  George  Washington,  in  Tyrone,  in  which 
he  owned  about  1,600  acres  at  and  around  Perryopohs,  in  now  Fayette, 
over  the  river  from  Layton's  Station. 


No.   4. 

ORIGIN  OF  SETTLERS,  &c.     (See  p.  330.) 

Among  the  most  interesting  minor  studies  of  our  early  history  is  to 
trace  the  origin  of  first  settlers  in  the  names  of  localities.  For  example, 
take  in — 

Westmoreland  County. — Hempfield,  a  township  of  that  name  in  Lan- 
caster county  ;  transferred  again  to  one  in  Mercer  county.  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, a  township  in  Adams,  formerly  York  county,  and  a  Hundred  in  Cecil 
county,  Md.,  transferred  also  to  Washington  county,  and  other  Pennsyl- 
vania Scotch-Irish  localities.  Huntingdon,  a  township  in  Adams,  for- 
merly York  county.  Rosstrevor,  corrupted  to  Rostraver,  a  seaport  town 
and  watering  place  in  the  County  Down,  Ireland.  It  has  a  monument 
erected  to  the  memory  of  Gen.  Ross,  killed  at  the  battle  of  North  Point, 
near  Baltimore,  September,  1814. 

Fayette. — Springhill  and  George,  from  Col.  George  Wilson,  as  before 
noted.  Menallen,  a  township  in  Adams,  formerly  York  county.  BuU- 
skin,  a  creek  in  Berkeley  county,  Va.  German,  because  settled  by  Ger- 
mans. 

Washington  County  affords  the  most  instructive  derivations.  Unlike 
the  other  western  counties,  when  erected,  it  had  no  townships,  except 
parts  of  the  Fayette  townships  of  Springhill  and  Menallen.  By  the  act  of 
1781  erecting  it,  its  trustees,  John  Armstrong,  James  Edgar,  Daniel  Leet, 
Hugh  Scott,  and  Van  Swearingen,  all  of  whom  I  believe  were  Presbyte- 
rians, three  of  them  elders,  were  required  to  divide  it  into  township.";, 
they  took  the  Continental  number  of  thirteen.  Of  these  were  Amwell, 
the  name  of  a  township  in  Hunterdon  county,  adjoining  Morris  county, 


pob  PRESD  YTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

. ! s 

JST.  J.,  and  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in  the  same  vicinity,  from  which  came 
tlie  Lindleys,  Cooks,  Rev.  T.  Dodd,  and  others.  Cecil,  from  Cecil  county, 
Md.  Fallowfield,  a  township  in  Chester  county,  and  again  transferred 
to  Crawford  county.  Nottingham,  a  township  in  Chester  county,  and  a 
district  in  Cecil  county,  Md.,  as  told  in  the  text.  Hopewell,  a  township 
in  York,  Cumberland,  and  Bedford  counties,  and  again  in  Beaver.  Done- 
gal and  Strabane  are  Irish  all  over,  and  common  in  all  our  Scotch-Irish 
counties.  Bethlehem,  perhaps,  because  settled  largely  by  Quakers.  Run- 
ning out  of  names,  Mr.  Edgar  procured  one  to  be  named  Smith,  in  which 
he  and  his  pastor.  Rev.  Joseph  Smith,  resided. 

Allegueny  County  has  no  names  of  townships  indicative  whence  its 
early  settlers  came.  Pittsburgh  once  had  some  streets  of  honored  names, 
as  Pitt,  St.  Clair,  Irvine,  Hand,  Wayne,  &c.,  but  they  are  nearly  all 
effaced  by  numbers ;  and  what  were  wont  to  be  known  only  as  num- 
bered streets,  are  now  avenues !  some  of  which  are  not  wide  enough  for 
two  carts  to  pass  without  danger  of  collision. 


No.  5. 

YOHOGAi^IA  COUNTY  RECORDS.     (See  page  332.) 

They  begin  with  December  23,  1776,  and  end  in  1781. 

The  following  are  the  "  gentlemen  justices  "  who  "  swore  into  "  their 
commissions :  Joseph  Beelor,  Joseph  Becket,  John  Campbell,  John  Can- 
non, Isaac  Cox, William  Crawford,  John  Campbell,  Zachariah  Connell,  John 
Decamp,  Thomas  Freeman,  Benjamin  Frye,  John  Gibson,  William  Goe,Wm. 
Harrison,  Benjamin  Kirkendall,  John  McDowell,  John  McDonald,  George 
McCormick,  Oliver  Miller,  Samuel  Newell,  Dorsey  Pentecost,  Matthew 
Ritchie,  James  Rogers,  Thomas  Smallman,  Andrew  Swearingen,  John 
Stephenson,  Geo.  Vallandingham,  Edward  Ward,  Joshua  Wright,  and 
Richard  Yeates.  And  the  following  did  not  "  swear  in  :"  Thomas  Brown, 
James  Blackiston,  John  Carmichael,  Benjamin  Harrison,  Jacob  Haymaker, 
Isaac  Leet,  Sen'r,  James  McLean,  Isaac  Meason,  John  Neville,  Philip 
Ross,  and  Joseph  Vance. 

Clerk — Dorsey  Pentecost ;  deputy,  Ralph  Bowker, 

Sheriffs — William  Harrison  (Isaac  Leet,  his  deputy),  George  McCor- 
mick (his  deputies,  Hugh  Sterling,  Joseph  Beelor,  Benj.  Vanmetre,  and 
John  Lemon),  and  Matthew  Ritchie  (John  Sutherland,  deputy). 

County  Lieutenant — Dorsey  Pentecost. 

Colonels — John  Cannon,  Isaac  Cox,  John  Stephenson. 

Lieutenant-Colonels — Isaac  Cox,  Joseph  Beelor,  Geo.  Valandingham. 

Majors — Gabriel  Cox,  William  Harrison,  Henry  Taylor. 


APPENDIX    TO   SECULAR   HISTORY.  407 

Captains  and  Lieutentants — (Too  many  to  name). 

Attorneys — Geo.  Brent,  Wm.  Harrison,  Samuel  Irvin,  Philip  Pendle- 
ton. 

Legislators — John  Campbell,  Wm.  Harrison,  and  Matthew  Ritchie. 

The  first  election  in  the  county  was  held  on  the  Sabbath  day — a  bad 
beginning. 

Several  justices  refused  to  serve  as  sheriff  because  of  uncertainty  of 
boundaries  with  Pennsylvania. 

For  the  first  eight  months  the  court  seems  to  have  sat  at  Pittsburgh, 
then  for  two  months  at  the  house  of  Andrew  Heath,  thenceforth  at  the 
new  court  house  on  his  "  plantation." 

The  following  are  the  specifications  for  the  court  house  and  jail  ordered 
August  22,  1777 :  "  The  Goal  and  Court  House  are  to  be  included  in  one 
whole  and  entire  building  of  round,  sound  oak  logs,  twenty-four  feet 
long,  and  sixteen  feet  wide,  two  story  high.  The  lower  story  to  be  eight 
feet  high,  petitioned  in  the  middle  with  squared  hewed  logs,  with  locks 
and  bears  to  the  doors  and  windows,  according  to  law,  which  shall  be  the 
goal.  The  upper  story  to  be  five  feet  high  in  the  sides,  with  a  good  cab- 
bin  roof,  with  convenient  seats  for  the  Court  and  Bar  and  clerk's  table,  to 
remain  in  one  room,  with  a  pair  of  stairs  on  the  outside  to  ascend  up  to 
said  room,  which  shall  be  the  place  for  holding  Court,  with  two  floors  to 
be  laid  with  strong  hewed  logs,  the  whole  compleat  and  finished  in  one 
month  from  the  date  hereof,  and  to  be  erected  on  the  plantation  of 
Andrew  Heath,"  at  such  place  as  three  of  the  justices  appointed  a  build- 
ing committee  should  select. 

October,  1777. — The  building  committee  ordered  to  have  a  stone  chimney 
built  in  the  Court  House  and  jail,  in  the  middle,  with  three  fire  places, 
two  below  in  the  jail,  and  one  above  in  the  court  room,  have  it  chunked 
and  plastered,  a  good  loft  of  clapboards,  a  window  in  each  "  glebe  "  of  the 
C.  H.,  of  four  panes,  of  eight  by  ten. 

April  29,  1778. — A  pair  of  stocks,  whipping  post,  and  pillory  ordered  to 
be  built  in  the  C.  H.  yard,  and  order  renewed  November  24,  1778. 

November,  1778. — ^Addition  ordered  to  the  building  of  a  room  sixteen 
feet  square,  one  story  high,  of  good  logs,  cabin  roof,  and  outside  wooden 
chimney,  seats,  sheriff's  box,  &c.,  for  a  court  room. 

Every  sheriff  ente;  s  his  protest  against  sufficiency  of  the  jaiL 

Repeated  appointments  of  justices  to  take  lists  of  tithables  in  designated 
districts,  and  to  tender  oath  of  allegiance. 

The  following  preachers  take  oath  of  allegiance  in  court  at  several 
times :  William  Taylor,  William  Reno,  John  Whittaker,  and  Edward 
[Robert?]  Hughey. 

March  24,  1778. — Deed  of  bargain  and  sale,  Thomas  Cook,  and  Michael 


4o8  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

Thomas  to  [John  McDowell  for]  John  McMillan,  "  clerk,"  of  Fagg's 
Manor,  for  three  hundred  and  thirteen  acres  of  land,  acknowledged  in  open 
court,  and  ordered  to  be  recorded.  [Date  September  9,  1777.  Price 
£195  15s.  6d.,  subject  to  purchase  money,  quit  rents,  &c.,  to  "  lord  or 
lords  of  the  fee  " — the  doctor's  home  place.] 

June  25, 1777. — James  Johnson  fined  twenty  shillings  for  two  profane 
oaths  and  two  profane  curses.  Same  day,  same  amount  for  three  oaths 
and  one  curse ;  and  same  day  same  sum  for  four  oaths. 

August  26,  1777. — '*  Robert  Hamilton,  a  prisoner  in  the  Sheriffs  cus- 
tody, came  into  Court,  and  in  the  grocest  and  most  imperlite  manner  in- 
sulted the  Court,  and  Richard  Yates,  Gentleman,  in  particular.  Ordered, 
that  the  Sheriff  confine  the  feet  of  the  said  Robert  in  the  lower  rails  of 
the  fence  for  the  space  of  five  minutes." 

June  24,  1778. — Cotton  and  wool  cards  ordered  to  be  distributed  in 
Col.  Cox's  and  Col.  Stephenson's  battalions,  according  to  the  number  of 
women  therein. 

October  28,  1777. — "  Ordered,  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  county  have 
leave  to  inoculate  for  the  small-pox  at  their  own  houses,  or  such  other 
convenient  places  as  they  may  think  proper." 

These  are  specimens  of  these  curious  old  records,  illustrative  of  the 
wants  and  simpUcity  of  Ihe  times. 


No.   6. 
THE  WHISKEY  INSURRECTION.     (See  page  394.) 

The  following  is  from  Foote's  "  Sketches  of  Virginia,"  First  Series, 
pages  476  and  560  : 

The  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  at  Harrisonburgh,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1794,  was  signalized  by  an  effort  of  the  military  to  put  down  the  free- 
dom of  debate  in  an  ecclesiastical  body.  The  Synod  was  then  composed 
of  the  Presbyteries  of  Hanover,  Lexington,  Transylvania,  Redstone,  and 
Ohio.  In  Pennsylvania,  that  popular  outbui'st,  known  as  the  "  Whiskey 
Insurrection,"  had  taken  place ;  and  many  of  the  insubordinate  were 
members  of  Presbyterian  congregations.  Part  of  the  armed  force  raised 
in  Virginia  to  quell  the  insurrection  was  then  encamped  at  Harrison- 
burgh. The  town  and  country  were  greatly  excited,  and  the  proceed- 
ings of  Synod  closely  watched.  As  the  scene  of  the  insurrection  was 
within  the  bounds  of  two  of  the  Presbyteries,  Rev.  Moses  Hoge,  D.D., 
after  conference  with  some  of  his  brethren,  proposed  an  address  to  the 
people  within  those  bounds,  inculcating  obedience  to  the  laws.  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Graham  opposed  it  as  uncalled  for,  as  prejudging,  in  an  ecclesiastical 


APPENDIX  TO  SECULAR  HISTORY.  409 

court,  the  case  of  a  people  that  felt  themselves  aggrieved,  poUtically,  by 
the  workings  of  a  law  that  pressed  upon  them  as  tyranically  as  did  the 
Stamp  Act  upon  the  Colonies.  He  maintained  that  there  were  wrongs  to 
be  redressed  rather  than  a  rebellion  to  be  crushed ;  and  that  the  circum- 
stances of  the  discontented  had  been  misjudged. 

The  avowal  of  these  sentiments,  in  Synod,  was  followed  b}'  an  appeal 
so  strong  that  the  motion  for  an  address  was  lost  by  a  small  majority. 
The  excitement  among  the  soldiery  was  great ;  violence  was  threatened 
to  Mr.  Graham.  Tar  and  feathers  were  provided.  An  officer  of  high 
grade,  residing  in  Rockingham  county,  sent  to  the  Synod  a  deuiand  of  the 
yeas  and  nays  on  the  question,  and  the  reason  for  the  decision.  This  was 
refused  by  Synod.  The  popular  rage  increased,  and  the  inflamed  soldiery 
were  hardly  restrained  from  violence.  Mr.  Graham,  by  the  advice  of 
friends,  retired  from  the  scene  of  confusion.  Dr.  Hoge  went  boldly 
among  the  soldiers  and  citizens,  and  exhorted  them  to  quietness,  and  not  to 
disgrace  themselves.  So  great  was  the  influence  of  his  proposed  resolu- 
tion and  earnest  remonstrances,  that  a  general  demand  was  made  for  him 
to  preach  to  them  previously  to  their  march  westward.  He  did  so ;  taking 
for  his  text  Mark  xii.  17,  and  left  upon  the  audience  an  impression  of 
delight. 

It  need  hardly  be  added  that  the  Rev.  Dr.  iHoge  W£is  born  on  Opequon, 
Virginia,  was  of  Pennsylvania  Scotch- Irish  parentage,  had  been  a  pupil  of 
Mr.  Graham,  was  then  a  pastor  at  Sliepherdstown,  Virginia,  afterwards 
President  of  Hampden-Sidney  College,  and  Professor  of  Divinity  there. 
He  was  the  father  of  Rev.  Dr.  James  Hoge,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  of 
Revs.  John  Blair  Hoge  and  Samuel  Davies  Hoge.     He  died  in  1820. 

Rev.  William  Graham  was  born  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage,  near  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.;  graduated  at  Princeton,  1773,  and  in  1775  established  a  classi- 
cal school  at  Timber  Ridge,  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  which,  after  various 
changes  and  removals,  still  under  Mr.  Graham's  direction,  became  the 
College  at  Lexington,  Va.  When,  in  1791,  the  Synod  of  Virginia  resolved 
to  patronize  two  schools  for  classical  and  theological  training,  it  put  the 
one  in  Rockbridge  county,  Va.,  under  Mr.  Graham's  care,  the  other,  to  be 
established  in  Washington  county.  Pa.,  to  be  under  the  care  of  Rev.  John 
McMillan.  This  one  became  JeSierson  College,  at  Canonsburg ;  and  Reid 
Bracken,  the  first  on  its  roll  of  graduates,  in  1802,  became  a  son-in-law  of 
Mr.  Graham.  Mr.  Graham  died  at  Richmond,  Va.,  at  the  house  of  Col. 
Robert  Gamble,  the  father-in-law  of  William  Wirt,  June  8,  1799. 


e6iJ> 


THE 


FUTURE  IN  THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  PAST 


CLOSING  ADDRESS, 

BT 

PROF.  SAMUEL  J.  WILSON,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


THE 


FUTURE  IN  THE  LIGHrOF  THE  PAST. 


T  is,"  says  Webster,  "a.  noble  faculty  of  our  nature 
which  enables  us  to  connect  our  thoughts,  our  sym- 
pathies, and  our  happiness  with  what  is  distant  in 
place  or  time ;  and,  looking  before  and  after,  to  hold 
communion  at  once  with  our  ancestors  and  our  posterity.  Human 
and  mortal  although  we  are,  we  are  nevertheless  not  mere  isolated 
beings,  without  relation  to  the  past  or  the  future.  Neither  the  point 
of  time,  nor  the  spot  of  earth,  in  which  we  physically  live,  bounds 
our  rational  and  intellectual  enjoyments.  We  live  in  the  past  by  a 
knowledge  of  its  history ;  and  in  the  future  by  hope  and  anticipa- 
tion. By  ascending  to  an  association  with  our  ancestors ;  by  con- 
templating their  example  and  studying  their  character ;  by  partaking 
their  sentiments  and  imbibing  their  spirit ;  by  accompanying  them 
in  their  toils ;  by  sympathizing  in  their  sufferings  and  rejoicing  in 
their  successes  and  their  triumphs ;  we  mingle  our  existence  with 
theirs,  and  seem  to  belong  to  their,  age.  We  become  their  cotem- 
poraries,  live  the  lives  which  they  lived,  endure  what  they  endured, 
and  partake  in  the  rewards  which  they  enjoyed.  And  in  like  man- 
ner, by  running  along  the  line  of  future  time,  by  contemplating  the 
probable  fortunes  of  those  who  are  coming  after  us,  by  attempting 
something  which  may  promote  their  happiness  and  leave  some  not 
dishonorable  memorial  of  ourselves  for  their  regard,  when  we  shall 
sleep  with  the  fathers,  we  protract  our  own  earthly  being,  and  seem 
to  crowd  whatever  is  future,  as  well  as  all  that  is  past,  into  the  nar- 
row compass  of  our  earthly  existence.     Neither  is  it  false  or  vain  to 

413 


414 


PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 


consider  ourselves  as  interested  and  connected  with  our  whole  race, 
through  all  time ;  allied  to  our  ancestors ;  allied  to  our  posterity ; 
closely  compacted  on  all  sides  vvith  others ;  ourselves  being  but  links 
in  the  great  chain  of  being,  which  begins  with  the  origin  of  our 
race,  runs  onward  through  its  successive  generations,  binding  to- 
gether the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future,  and  terminating  at  last, 
with  the  consummation  of  all  things  earthly,  at  the  throne  of  God." 
Thus,  profoundly,  eloquently,  and  delicately  has  the  great  orator 
expressed  the  spirit  of  this  occasion.  For  two  days  we  have  been 
"  living  in  the  past ;  we  have  contemplated  the  example  and  studied 
the  character  of  our  illustrious  ancestors  in  the  ecclesiastical  line  ; 
.we  have  accompanied  them  in  their  toils,  we  have  sympathized  in 
their  sufferings,  and  rejoiced  in  their  successes  and  triumphs."  But 
in  order  to  complete  the  view,  it  is  necessary  that  Ave  look  forward, 
as  well  as  backward ;  that  we  contemplate  the  future  as  well  as  the 
past.  Behind  us  lies  the  eventful  past,  with  its  thrilling  adventures, 
its  heroic  endurance,  its  toils,  its  self-denials,  its  perilous  journey- 
ings,  its  arduous  services,  its  mighty  sermons,  its  wonderful  revivals, 
its  obstacles,  its  discouragements,  and  its  splendid  successes.  These 
are  all  achieved.  The  history  is  written,  the  record  is  made  up. 
But  before  us  lie  unwritten  and  unknown  histories,  and  responsibili- 
ties as  weighty  as  the  destinies  of  our  country,  as  wide  as  the  world, 
and  as  high  as  the  throne  of  God.  From  this  point,  radiant  with 
the  memories  of  the  past,  and  crowded  with  the  interests  and  issues 
of  the  present,  it  is  well  for  us  to  look  down,  for  a  little,  into  the 
future.  "  What  is  to  be  the  practical  outcome  of  all  that  we  have 
heard,  and  learned,  and  felt  ?  Shall  we  listen  to  these  recitals  com- 
placently, felicitating  ourselves  upon  our  "  pleasant  lot  and  goodly 
heritage,"  with  just  a  grain  of  gratitude  for  all  that  our  forefathers 
have  done  and  suffered  for  us,  and  then  settle  ourselves  at  ease  in 
Zion  ?  If  so,  woe  be  unto  us !  God  forbid  that  we  should  be 
incited  by  what  we  have  heard  to  no  higher  task  than  to  instituting 
comparisons  between  the  privations  of  former  generations  and  the 
luxuries  of  this  generation.  "A  most  lame  and  impotent  conclu- 
sion "  that  would  be  !  Rather  let  the  motto  and  the  moral  of  the 
occasion  be,  "  unto  whomsoever  much  is  given  of  him  shall  much  be 
required."  If  amidst  the  perils  of  the  wilderness,  with  their  scanty 
resources,  the  fathers  achieved  so  much,  we  should  be  ashamed  that 


THE  FUTURE  IN  THE   LIGHT  OF  THE  PAST.  415 

we  have  done  so  little ;  and  if  privilege  is  to  be  taken  as  a  standard 
of,  or  as  an  incentive  to,  duty,  what  should  be  the  measure  of  devo- 
tion !  Our  opportunities  of  doing  good  are  to  theirs  as  the  railroad 
is  to  the  Indian  trail,  or  the  mountain  bridle-path ;  as  the  electric 
telegraph  is  to  the  stage  coach ;  as  the  modern  mower  and  reaper 
are  to  the  old-fashioned  scythe  and  sickle ;  as  the  steam-engine  is  to 
the  ponderous,  slow-going  water-wheel.  Fathers  and  brothers, 
there  is  danger  that  the  upshot  of  all  this  historical  review  will  be 
our  saying  to  ourselves  complacently:  "  How  much  better  off  we 
are  than  our  forefathers  were  !  How  much  better  time  we  have 
than  they  had  !"  We  sometimes  delude  ourselves  with  the  belief 
that  we  are  grateful,  when  we  are  only  congratulating  ourselves  that 
God  gives  so  much  and  requires  so  little.  Rather  let  us  remember 
that  privilege  and  duty  are  correlative  terms.  Where  the  Lord 
gives  much  he  also  requires  much.  Let  all  the  voices  of  the  past 
awake  us  to  duty.  Let  the  echo  of  the  war-whoop  be  a  trumpet-call 
to  summon  us  to  heroic  doing  and  daring  as  good  soldiers  of  the 
cross. 

From  the  able  and  interesting  histories  to  which  we  have  listened 
one  fact  emerges,  to  which  we  should  give  most  earnest  heed.  The 
fact  is  this,  that  the  foundations  of  this  Western  Zion  were  laid  in 
times  of  revival.  Is  not  this  the  crowning  fact  of  the  history  ?  In 
the  rude  forts  which  were  for  a  defence  against  savages ;  in  the  log 
huts  of  the  pioneers;  in  the  primitive  "meeting-houses,"  and  in 
the  groves,  where  the  sacramental  table  was  spread,  there  were  glo- 
rious displays  of  divine  grace.  As  years  roll  on,  and  as,  one  by 
one,  the  distinctive  lines  in  the  picture  of  these  times  wear  out,  this 
one  of  revivals  will  be  the  last  to  be  obliterated. 

In  times  of  revival  divine  truth  is  more  vividly  perceived  and 
more  profoundly  felt  than  at  other  times ;  and  those  who  are  then 
bom  into  the  kingdom  are,  ordinarily,  men  and  women  of  robust 
faith,  sturdy  principle,  deep  conviction,  and  stalwart  resolution. 
Just  such  men  and  women  God  gave  to  the  Church  in  those  days ; 
and  he  gave  them  to  the  Church  in  times  of  revival.  Does  not  the 
Church  need  reinforcements  of  this  kind  now?  How  are  they  to  be 
obtained  ?  The  answer  is  contained  in  the  history  to  which  we  have 
been  listening.  The  Spirit  of  God  awaits  the  invitation  of  the 
Church  to  manifest  his  power  in  the  conversion  and  consecration  of 


4ib  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


millions  in  this  land ;  and  when  that  day  comes,  we  shall  have  a 
generation  of  Christians  who  will  not  be  frightened  out  of  their  wits 
when  Tyndall  sneers  at  prayer,  when  Spencer  says  "  evolution,"  or 
when  Darwin  says  "ape."  In  such  a  revival  we  should  find  the 
solution  of  all  our  difificulties.  It  would  open  men's  hearts,  and 
empty  their  pockets,  and  fill  the  treasury  of  the  Lord ;  it  would  take 
the  Gospel  to  the  masses  and  bring  the  masses  to  the  Gospel,  and  it 
would  confound  infidelity.  While  pseudo-scientists  and  philoso- 
phers are  attempting  to  prove  that  the  Bible  is  a  fable,  a  revived 
Church  will  take  that  Bible  as  its  standard,  and  make  its  truths  the 
faith  of  the  world.  Let  such  power  come  through  revival,  and  a 
pittance  of  the  wealth  of  the  Church  will  not  have  to  be  squeezed 
into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord  by  skillful  expedients;  but  resources 
will  be  contributed  as  spontaneously  and  as  profusely  as  the  Israelites, 
at  Sinai,  contributed  material  for  the  construction  of  the  Taber- 
nacle ;  let  such  power  come,  and  ministers  will  be  ready  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  perishing  sinners  without  waitii  g  to  see  whether  or 
not  their  t's  are  all  crossed  and  their  i's  all  dotted ;  let  such  power 
come,  and  tens  of  thousands  of  professing  Christians  will  find  some- 
thing more  and  something  better  to  do  in  the  Church  than  to  tax 
the  energies  of  pastors  and  elders  in  nursing,  fondling,  and  cod- 
dling them. 

Another  lesson  in  this  connection  is,  that  these  revivals  were  pro- 
duced, sustained,  and  carried  forward,  under  God,  by  the  discrimi- 
nating preaching  of  the  distinctive  doctrines  of  the  Gospel.  The 
ruin  of  man  through  sin,  and  his  recovery  through  grace,  were  the 
truths  which  were  thundered  by  McMillan  ;  which  were  the  burden 
of  the  "silver  tongue"  of  Marquis,  and  the  substance  of  the  "war 
sermon  "  of  McCurdy.  Nor  did  they  preach  these  doctrines  in  a 
hesitating,  half-apologetic  manner,  as  though  human  pride  might  be 
wounded  by  the  announcement ;  as  though  they  were  not  quite  sure 
that  civilization  had  not  outgrown  the  Gospel ;  but  they  preached 
them  with  conviction  and  authority,  and  consequently  with  power. 
They  ^^  believed,''  and  therefore  they  '■^  spoke.''  If  we  are  to  have 
revivals  such  as  our  fathers  witnessed,  they  will  come  through  the 
preaching  of  the  truth  as  the  Holy  Ghost  has  revealed  it.  In  this 
regard  we  have  not  advanced  a  step  beyond  our  ancestors. 

Moreover,  with  a  wise  forecast,  and  in  a  most  catholic  spirit,  the 


THE   FUTURE   IN  THE   LIGHT  OF   THE  PAST.  417 

fathers  made  provision  for  the  future  of  the  Church,  in  the  found- 
ing of  academies  and  colleges.  They  founded  literary  institutions 
in  the  wilderness  within  sound  of  the  Indian's  war-whoop,  and 
within  sight  of  the  smoke  of  the  Indian's  wigwam.  Thus,  and  then, 
and  there,  they  laid  the  foundations  of  our  strength  and  greatness ; 
and  they  laid  them  on  the  immovable  rocks  of  Calvin istic  doctrine 
and  liberal  education.  As  the  fathers  laid  the  foundations,  so  must 
the  structure  reared  upon  the  foundations  be  conserved  and  carried 
forward  to  completion.  We  must  not  let  the  lamp  go  out  which 
was  lighted  in  the  wilderness.  As  there  was  room  in  the  camp  of 
Israel  for  Eldad  and  Medad  to  prophesy,  so  now  there  is  room  and 
there  is  opportunity  for  all  who  love  Christ  to  labor  in  his  cause ; 
yet  there  will  ever  remain  a  necessity  for  an  educated  ministry ;  and 
as  the  race  advances  in  intelligence  the  standard  of  ministerial  edu- 
cation must  become  higher  and  higher.  Even  in  the  pressing  ne- 
cessities of  the  times,  the  fathers  "  laid  hands  suddenly  on  no  man." 
In  the  light  of  the  past,  therefore,  may  we  not  interpret  the 
future  ?  The  prime  need  of  the  Church  is  revival ;  revival  to  in- 
vigorate her  faith,  to  quicken  her  zeal,  to  widen  her  vision,  and  to 
stimulate  her  benevolence.  In  order  to  bring  about  such  a  result 
the  Lord  has  but  one  means,  and  that  is  the  preaching  the  truth  as 
he  has  revealed  it.  If,  therefore,  the  Church  be  loyal  to  her  Lord 
and  to  his  truth,  unswayed  by  any  gusts  of  passion  or  by  any  spirit 
of  policy,  holding  right  on  her  way,  true  to  her  charter  and  her 
commission,  then  there  awaits  her  another  century  of  success  greater 
even  than  that  which  is  past.  But  if  she  be  disloyal  to  the  truth, 
and  through  cowardice  deny  her  Lord  even  in  his  own  house,  and 
at  his  own  altars,  then  indeed  has  she  commemorated  her  first  and 
her  last  Centennial.  In  the  truth  of  God  lies  her  safety  and  success. 
Along  the  line  marked  out  by  the  example  and  footsteps  of  the 
fathers  lies  her  history,  if  she  is  to  have  a  history  at  all. 
2  B 


'^=S^^< 


APPENDIXES  TO  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY. 


NOTE. 


Thkee  of  the  communications  in  this  Appendix  are  from  venerable 
and  esteemed  brethren,  who  are  among  the  few  that  yet  remain  as 
connecting  links  between  the  ministry  of  our  fathers  and  that  of 
our  younger  brethren  of  the  present  day.  Each  of  these  men  has 
his  own  biography,  which  it  is  yet  too  soon  to  sketch.  The  infor- 
mation which  they  have  given  is  most  thankfully  received,  and  will 
be  welcomed  by  all  our  readers. 


APPENDIX  k-{Seep.  41.) 


THE  VANCE'S  FORT  REVIVAL. 

Still  more  recently  Dr.  Stockton's  account  has  been  published  in 
the  Presbyterian  Banner,  as  well  as  given  to  me  in  a  private  letter. 
It  is  cheerfully  introduced  here  for  the  sake  of  the  "  truth  of  his- 
tory." A.  W. 


January,  1876. 
Efforts  are  now  being  made  to  gather  up  the  early  history  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  and  it  is  the  duty  of 
all  to  make  that  history  as  true  as  possible.     And  in  regard  to  the 

419 


420  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

"history  of  the  origin  of  the  work  of  grace  in  Vance's  Fort,"  it  is 
beheved  by  the  Session  of  the  Church  of  Cross  Creek,  and  others, 
that  there  are  some  corrections  which  ought  to  be  made  while  I  have 
the  evidence  in  my  possession. 

[After  quoting  the  account  as  given  in  the  text  on  the  authority  of 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Stevenson,  and  of  his  son  the  Rev.  John  M.  Steven- 
son, D.D.,  of  New  York,  Dr.  Stockton  proceeds  as  follows:] 

In  this  account  it  is  believed  there  are  three  inaccuracies,  viz. : 
I  St.  There  were  pious  men  in  both  Wells'  and  Vance's  Fort  before 
Joseph  Patterson  came  into  Cross  Creek.  Meetings  for  religious 
worship  began  to  be  held  in  Wells'  and  Vance's  Forts  in  the  winter 
of  1 776-77.  In  Wells'  Fort  the  meetings  were  led  by  John  Morrison, 
Robert  McCready,  Wm.  McCandless,  and  Samuel  Strain ;  and  in 
Vance's  Fort  by  Major  Wm.  Vance  (on  whose  farm  the  fort  was), 
James  Campbell,  John  Stone,  Robert  Barr,  and  Wm.  Wilson ;  also 
in  the  summer  of  1779  by  James  Edgar.  All  these  were  in  Vance's 
Fort  before  Mr.  Patterson  arrived  in  the  country,  and  each  led  the 
worship  in  his  turn.  Again.  2d.  Thos.  Marquis  and  his  wife  Jane 
were  converted  before  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Patterson  in  Cross  Creek. 
In  answer  to  the  prayers  of  the  pious,  the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured 
out  on  the  meeting  in  Vance's  Fort,  and  a  number  were  led  to 
Jesus.  This  revival  occurred  before  the  autumn  of  1778,  and  Mr. 
Marquis  and  his  wife  were  among  the  number  of  the  converts  at 
that  time.  Accordingly,  when  Rev.  James  Power  preached  at  the 
gate  of  Vance's  Fort,  the  first  gospel  sermon  ever  heard  in  Cross 
Creek,  on  the  14th  of  September,  1778,  twenty-one  children  were 
baptized  after  the  sermon,  and  then  and  there  Mr.  Marquis  and  his 
wife  Jane  presented  their  first-born  to  receive  the  rite  of  baptism. 
At  this  time  Mr.  Patterson  had  not  crossed  the  mountains.  Again. 
3d.  The  congregations  of  Cross  Creek  and  Upper  Buffalo  united, 
and  made  out  a  call  for  the  ministerial  services  of  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Smith,  on  the  21st  of  June^  I779-  This  was  several  months  before 
Mr.  Patterson  came  into  the  country.  Mr.  Smith,  of  Chanceford 
and  Slate  Ridge,  visited  and  preached  several  sermons  in  Buffalo 
and  Cross  Creek,  in  April,  1779,  and  then  returned  to  York  county. 
Mr.  James  Edgar  arrived  in  Cross  Creek  in  the  summer  of  1779. 
He  had  been  an  elder  in  Slate  Ridge.  He  was  present,  and  in  a 
great  measure  mfluenced  the  congregations  to  make  out  the  call  for 


APPENDIXES.  421 

Mr.  Smith,  on  the  21st  of  June.  He  was  appointed  to  carry  the 
call  down  to  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle,  which  met  at  Carlisle,  Pa., 
and  before  his  return  he  revisited  York  county.  He  had  been  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Patterson  there,  and  mainly  through  his  influence 
Mr.  Patterson  was  induced  to  remove  to  Cross  Creek,  which  he  did 
in  the  autumn  of  1779.  Mr.  Patterson  was  ardently  pious  and  zeal- 
ous, was  soon  chosen  to  be  an  elder  in  Cross  Creek,  and  afterwards 
was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  was  ordained  and  installed 
pastor  of  the  congregation  of  Raccoon. 

If  it  be  inquired  on  what  authority  I  make  this  statement,  I  an-- 
swer,  upon  the  authority  of  Robert  McCready,  Joseph  Vance,  Sr., 
and  James  Edgar.  All  these  were  for  many  years  venerated  elders 
of  the  church  of  Cross  Creek.  Robert  McCready  was  a  Scotchman, 
converted  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Mr.  Strain,  in  York  county. 
Pa.,  taught  school  for  some  time  in  that  county,  came  to  Cross 
Creek  in  the  winter  of  1776-77,  was  present  at  the  first  sermon 
preached  by  Rev.  Power,  at  Vance's  Fort,  and  in  education  was 
superior  to  most  of  the  pioneers.  Joseph  Vance  was  the  oldest  son 
of  Major  Wm.  Vance,  the  proprietor  of  the  fort,  was  bred  up  in  the 
fort,  was  converted  under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Smith,  and  appointed 
an  elder  of  Cross  Creek  along  with  Thomas  Marquis  and  Joseph 
Patterson,  and  for  some  years  was  an  influential  member  of  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania.  James  Edgar  was  an  elder  in  the 
church  in  York  county,  afterwards  was  a  judge  of  the  court  in 
Washington  county,  and  one  of  the  strongest  pillars  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Western  Pennsylvania  in  his  day.  Three  more 
competent  and  credible  witnesses  cannot  be  found  in  the  pale  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  I  have  been  the  pastor  of  the  congregation 
of  Cross  Creek,  Pa.,  for  forty-nine  years.  The  above  statement  was 
taken  from  the  lips  of  elders  McCready  and  Vance,  while  they  were 
living,  and  from  the  papers  of  Judge  Edgar,  now  in  my  possession, 
and  it  is  published  now  for  the  sole  end  of  vindicating  the  truth  of 
history. 


422  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


APPENDIX  ^-{Seep.  54.) 


FURTHER    ILLUSTRATIONS    OF   THE   FALLING  WORK. 

The  following  illustration  of  the  falling  work  has  not  appeared 
elsewhere  since  1805.  It  is  taken  from  an  account  written,  as  is 
supposed,  by  a  gentleman  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar,  under  date  of  June 
24,  1804,  and  published  as  a  communication  in  Cramer^ s  Pittsburgh 
Almanac  for  1805.  The  writer  graphically  describes  his  approach 
on  horseback  to  an  assemblage  of  worshippers  gathered  around  a 
tent  by  the  roadside.  It  is  the  evening  of  a  communion  season, 
and  he  tarries  for  the  service.  At  the  close  of  this  he  witnesses  the 
falling  exercises,  which  he  thus  describes :  "The  hearts  of  the  peo- 
ple now  became  softened,  even  unto  repentance.  They  are  at  first 
gently  stricken — they  swoon — they  die  for  a  moment  a  righteous 
death.  Recovering  their  breath,  they  shriek  and  cry  aloud.  Two, 
nay,  even  four,  could  scarcely  hold  one.  Respiration  is  quick, 
heavy,  and  painful — the  countenance  is  distorted — the  body  con- 
vulsed— they  now  sigh,  now  cry,  and  weep  bitterly. 

*'  My  feelings  were  alarmed,  and  my  soul  sighed  for  an  explanation 
of  this  extraordinary  work.  The  voices  of  the  ministers  were  drowned. 
'Tis  now  eleven  o'clock  [p.m.].  They  endeavor  to  disperse  the 
people,  going  themselves.  Many  retire  to  their  tents  and  homes. 
Remaining  on  the  ground,  my  attention  was  particularly  called  to  a 
female — for  I  observed  no  males  in  this  situation — who  seemed  to  be 
more  violently  worked  than  any  of  the  rest,  for  there  were  about 
fifty  thus  stricken,  and  who  were  nearly  all  at  the  same  time  hollow- 
ing aloud,  and  sending  up  prayers  to  Heaven.  This  female  was 
prostrated  her  whole  length  on  the  ground.  Her  feet  were  held. 
She  was  strong  and  robust,  and  of  a  middle  age.  She  spoke,  with 
very  little  intermission,  as  fast  and  as  loud  as  she  could  hollow,  for 
near  an  hour.  Her  address  was  to  the  feelings  of  sinners.  I  thought 
it  well  worded  and  sensible,  and  still  more  so  on  being  informed 
that  the  girl  was  blind,  and  had  been  so  since  the  age  of  three  years. 
Having  perfectly  exhausted  herself,  she  fell  into  a  deathly  sleep,  and 
neither  moved  hand  nor  foot  nor  head  while  I  tarried,  for  I  could 
not  but  watch  her  with  more  than  common  curiosity.     Her  pulse 


APPENDIXES.  423 

was  scarcely  to  be  felt,  and  her  joints  were  fixed  in  their  sockets ; 
nor  could  her  arms  or  fingers,  which  were  fully  extended  by  her 
sides,  be  moved  without  a  risk  of  dislocating  them.  The  features 
of  her  face  were  much  drawn,  and  nothing  of  life  seemed  to  remain 
but  a  long,  slow  breathing.  Expressing  a  wish  to  remove  her  to  a 
covering,  I  was  informed  that  she  had  frequently  been  left  in  this 
torpid  state,  if  I  may  be  permitted  the  expression,  all  night.  No 
signs  of  any  alteration  on  her,  and  it  being  nearly  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  leaving  two  to  take  care  of  this  'patient  of  God,'  I 
mounted  my  horse  and  resumed  my  road  to  Pittsburgh.  The  moon 
shone  remarkably  bright,  the  night  was  calm,  and  as  still  as  the  silent 
vaults  of  the  dead.  This  added  to  the  solemnity  of  the  reflections 
that  would  naturally  occur  from  an  event  so  extraordinary,  nay,  so 
new,  so  mysterious." 

This  account  is  the  more  noticeable  as  being  from  a  non-clerical 
source.  The  writer  was  probably  returning  on  Sabbath  (lawyer 
like)  from  a  meeting  of  court  at  Steubenville,  and  he  halts  at  the 
Cross  Roads  Church  (Macurdy's),  which  stood  by  the  wayside.  We 
are  indebted  for  the  account  to  James  Veech,  Esq.,  who  rescued  it 
from  oblivion  by  copying  it  from  an  old  number  of  the  almanac. 


The  following  is  another  illustrative  instance  of  the  bodily  exer- 
cise^ of  a  recent  date,  and  in  another  hemisphere.     It  is  found  in 
the  Foreign  Missionary  for  July,  1874: 
Letter  of  Rev.  A.  L.  Blackford,  Rio  Janeiro,  April  24,  1874. 

"  God's  Power  upon  the  Soul. — On  Sabbath,  April  5,  we  cele- 
brated the  Lord's  Supper,  and  received  and  baptized  four  converts 
from  Rome,  and  on  the  12th  inst.,  thirteen  children  were  baptized. 
The  case  of  one  of  the  four  converts,  above  alluded  to,  is  peculiar, 
and  an  unusual  manifestation  of  the  direct  power  of  God  with  men. 
He  is  a  very  intelligent  and  active  man,  and  quite  well  educated. 
In  May  or  June  of  last  year,  his  father — also  a  very  intelligent  man, 
and  a  retired  military  officer — and  himself  came  into  our  service, 
the  first  time  they  had  ever  been  at  Protestant  worship.  The  ser- 
mon was  on  the  text:,  'Prove  all  things,  hold  fast,'  etc.,  and 
taught  that  true  religion  is  a  rational  thing,  and  not  only  bears,  but 
courts,  the  strictest  scrutiny  of  reason.  As  they  passed  out,  the  old 
gentleman  said  to  me,  '  That  discourse  expressed  my  views.'    Hence- 


424  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 


forward  father  and  son  and  other  members  of  the  family  were  very 
regular  attendants,  and  the  children  came  to  our  Sabbath-scliool. 
The  son  was,  however,  an  avowed  infidel,  and  taught  his  views 
boldly  and  loudly  in  public  evening  lectures,  in  a  school  which  he 
was  directing ;  and  further,  had  his  lectures  published.  He  was 
evidently  sincere  in  his  views,  and  desirous  of  knowing  the  truth. 
He  took  all  the  books  we  could  furnish  him  in  Portuguese  and 
Spanish  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity.  And  I  have  since  learned 
from  his  father,  that  for  a  good  while  they  had  spent  long  hours 
at  night  reading,  studying,  and  discussing  the  subject;  the  son 
all  the  while  calling  himself,  and  believing  himself  to  be,  a  pure 
materialist.  He  had  heard  and  read  of  spiritualism,  and,  though 
holding  its  ideas  in  contempt,  concluded  one  day  in  February 
last  to  try  some  experiments  on  his  own  account.  On  the  20th 
of  that  month  he  came  to  my  study  in  a  strange  and  dolorous 
state  of  mental  excitement.  He  told  me  what  he  had  been  doing, 
showed  me  a  lot  of  writings,  some  in  intelligible  words,  and 
the  rest  in  signs,  marks,  and  scratches,  which  to  me  was  so  much 
meaningless  scribbling,  which  he  said  his  hand  had  been  forced  to 
make  by  some  unseen  but  irresistible  power  \  and  most  of  which  he 
considered  he  could  read  and  interpret,  and  which,  as  he  rendered 
it  to  me,  was  a  strange  mixture  of  truth  and  the  wildest  nonsense, 
and  yet  to  him  it  evidently  had  all  the  force  of  reality.  I  was  soon 
satisfied  that  argument  was  useless  in  such  a  case,  and  hence  avoided 
it.  Two  days  later  I  was  surprised  to  see  him  in  his  place  on  Sab- 
bath. The  sermon  was  on  the  sympathy  of  Jesus.  He  listened 
with  a  quiet,  but  very  earnest  attention ;  and  there  was  a  very  un- 
usual manifestation  of  feeling  in  the  congregation.  At  the  close  of 
the  service  the  young  man  was  found  sitting  in  his  seat,  unable  to 
move  hand  or  foot,  or  open  his  eyes.  The  body  was  not  rigid,  yet 
would  remain  in  the  position  in  which  it  was  or  was  placed.  He 
continued  thus  for  about  half  an  hour,  during  which  time  he  opened 
his  eyes  but  once,  and  for  an  instant  only.  Yet,  on  coming  to  him- 
self, he  knew  perfectly  what  had  been  done  and  said  around  him. 
Amongst  his  first  words  were  :  '  I  accept  the  Bible  now  as  true,  and 
the  inspired  Word  of  God,  and  Christ  as  a  divine  Saviour,  and  I 
intend  to  profess  my  faith  in  this  Presbyterian  Church.'  These 
and  other  truths  he  steadfastly  affirmed,  whilst  for  some  days  he 


APPENDIXES.  435 

seemed  fully  persuaded  that  he  had  visions,  and  received  direct 
divine  spiritualistic  instructions  and  prophetic  intimations.  In-  two 
or  three  days  he  gave  up  spiritualistic  experiments  as  useless  and 
wrong  and  delusive.  The  night  before  his  attack  on  Sabbath,  he 
had  slept  scarcely  any,  and  very  little  for  several  nights  and  days 
previous.  His  idea  was  that  during  his  lethargic  state  his  spirit  was 
out  of  the  body  and  looking  on  it,  and  cognizant  of  all  that  was 
passing ;  and  thoughts  like  these  passed  through  his  spirit :  There 
lies  what  I  contended  was  all  there  was  of  me,  nOw  a  mass  of  inert 
matter,  and  the  spirit,  which  I  ignored  or  denied,  now  looks  upon 
it  and  reasons  about  it. 

*•  I  do  not  mean  now  to  analyze  the  facts ;  I  cannot  even  give  an 
adequate  idea  of  them.  My  impression,  as  an  eye-witness,  is  that 
his  cognizance  of  what  was  passing  was  not  through  his  bodily  senses. 
He  believes  that  God  took  hold  of  him  thus  to  show  him  his  errors. 
And,  as  it  were,  a  voice  speaking  thrilled  through  his  soul,  saying : 
'  Power  belongeth  unto  God  !  Power  belongeth  unto  God  !'  He 
says  that  when  the  conviction  of  God's  being,  power,  and  omni- 
presence rushed  in  upon  his  soul,  it  seemed  as  if  it  wwuld  crush  him 
out  of  existence ;  but  when  he  saw  Christ  as  a  divine  Saviour,  and 
felt  himself  pardoned,  peace  came,  and  love  and  confidence  filled 
his  spirit.  It  took  a  good  many  days  to  restore  the  ordinary  quiet 
of  body  and  mind,  and  his  family  and  friends  were  in  great  suspense 
.  as  to  the  result.  I  could  not  doubt  from  the  beginning  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  was  at  work  with  him.  I  did  not  feel  called  upon  to 
separate  with  any  nice  distinction  how  far  his  extraordinary  expe- 
rience might  be  the  effect  of  divine  power,  and  what  in  it  might  be 
caused  by  human  weakness,  preconceived  ideas,  and  the  struggles 
of  unbelief  and  hostile  spiritual  powers  to  maintain  the  ascendancy 
over  a  once  faithful  ally.  We  were  satisfied  that  the  evident  re- 
sults— a  quiet  and  humble  faith  in  Christ  as  his  Saviour — was  a  vic- 
tory of  the  divine  word  and  Spirit,  and  hence  we  received  him  to 
the  visible  Church  of  God."* 

*  In  a  recent  interview  with  the  writer  of  the  above,  I  learn  that  this 
man  still  maintains  a  consistent  Christian  character,  and  that  his  father, 
mother,  and  sister  have  also  become  members  of  the  Church. 

A.  W. 

April,  1876. 


426  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 


APPENDIX  C-iSeep  59.) 


FURTHER  NOTICES  OF  ELDER  ROBERT  CAMPBELL. 

By  Rev.^Adam  Torrance. 

.New  Alexandria,  Pa.,  Dec.  24,  1875. 
Rev.  a.  Williams,  D.  D.  : 

Dear  Brother: — I  preached  in  Donegal  Church,  Sabbath,  May 
19,  1838,  Rev.  Samuel  Swan,  the  pastor,  being  absent  attending  a 
meeting  of  the  General  Assembly.  At  the  close  of  the  afternoon 
sermon,  and  after  the  benediction  had  been  pronounced,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, a  large,  gray-headed  man  of  over  four-score  years,  immediately 
spoke  and  requested  the  congregation  to  be  seated  a  few  minutes, 
which  was  accordingly  done.  He  then  commenced  an  exhortation, 
the  most  remarkable  one,  in  some  respects,  I  ever  heard  from  a 
layman.  The  pastor's  return  was  not  expected  for  several  Sabbaths, 
and  no  further  supplies  were  provided,  and  his  object  was  to  per- 
suade the  people  to  come  to  church  and  sing  and  pray  and  hear  the 
Scriptures  read.  He  urged  the  duty  by  the  consideration  that  it 
was  the  way  and  the  place  to  obtain  God's  blessing — that  Sabbaths 
spent  altogether  at  home  were  apt  to  be  spent  in  a  careless  and  drowsy 
manner — that  it  would  cheer  the  heart  of  their  pastor  to  learn  on  his 
return  that  the  prayer-meetings  had  been  well  attended.  Mr.  C. 
made  a  happy  use  of  many  Scripture  texts  in  the  course  of  his  ex- 
hortation, and  concluded  by  saying,  in  his  peculiar  manner  and 
utterance:  ''Now,  brethren,  old  and  young,  do  come  out  next 
Sabbath,  and  every  following  Sabbath,  otherwise  the  grass  will 
grow  up  so  rank  about  these  church  doors  and  these  hitching-trees, 
that  strangers  passing  by  will  conclude  that  it  is  a  forsaken  church." 

Mr.  Campbell  took  me  home  with  him,  and  during  the  evening 
and  the  following  morning  gave  me  an  account  of  some  of  the  inci- 
dents of  his  life,  and  of  some  of  his  religious  experience,  which  was 
exceedingly  thrilling  and  interesting,  some  notes  of  which  I  made 
on  my  return  home,  and  from  which  I  take  the  following  facts : 

His  father,  Robert  Campbell,  settled  with  his  family  in  Ligonier 
Valley,  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War,     On  a  certain  day  in  the 


APPENDIXES.  42J 

month  of  July,  1776,  the  father  being  absent  from  home,  a  party 
of  Indians  came  suddenly  on  his  two  sons,  Robert  and  William, 
while  in  a  field  some  distance  from  the  house  hoeing  corn,  and 
made  them  prisoners.  The  Indians  immediately  made  for  the  house, 
where  were  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  younger  children — Thomas, 
Polly,  Ibby,  Sarah,  and  an  infant  on  the  mother's  breast.  The 
mother,  attempting  to  escape  with  her  infant  in  her  arms,  received 
a  fatal  blow  on  her  head  with  a  tomahawk,  and,  falling  upon  her 
child,  killed  it,  as  it  was  found  dead  and  the  mother  lying  on  it. 

All  the  children  as  above  named  were  taken  captives.  Two  horses 
were  also  taken,  on  which  the  youngest  two  girls  were  carried.  But 
Sarah,  the  youngest,  being  unable  to  hold  herself  on  the  horse  be- 
hind an  Indian,  was  killed  and  left  about  a  mile  from  the  house. 
The  Indians,  with  their  captives,  crossed  the  Kiskiminetas  somewhere 
below  Saltsburg,  and  pursued  their  way  into  the  northwestern  part 
of  New  York  State.  The  captives  were  separated,  and  part  of  them 
taken  into  Canada.  Thomas  was  bought  of  the  Indians  by  an  Eng- 
lish officer  and  sent  to  England.  The  two  sisters,  after  being  four 
years  in  captivity,  were  liberated  and  returned  to  Ligonier  Valley. 
William  obtained  his  liberty  and  returned  about  the  close  of  the 
war. 

Robert,  the  principal  subject  of  this  narrative,  after  being  in  cap- 
tivity six  years,  seized  an  opportunity  which  offered,  and,  with  an- 
other white  prisoner,  made  his  escape,  and  through  many  dangers 
and  with  much  privation  and  suffering,  made  his  way  back  to  Ligo- 
nier Valley;  and  when  I  was  at  his  house,  in  1838,  owned  and 
lived  on  the  tract  of  land  formerly  owned  by  his  father,  and  on 
which  his  mother  had  been  killed  and  the  children  made  prisoners. 

He  enjoyed  but  limited  advantages  of  religious  instruction  in  his 
early  youth,  yet  being  of  an  inquiring  turn  of  mind,  he  gave  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  and  tried  to  under- 
stand them,  as  they  were  generally  believed  and  taught.  But  as  he 
himself  said,  he  subjected  those  doctrines  too  much  to  the  test  of 
reason  and  experience,  and  left  out  of  view  the  incomprehensible 
perfections  of  God.  The  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body 
appeared  to  his  mind  utterly  incredible. 

A  circumstance  occurred  during  his  captivity  which  served  to 
strengthen  his  unbelief  in  that  doctrine. 


428  PRESBYTER/AN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENT/ON. 

A  fellow-prisoner,  who  twice  attempted  to  escape,  was  pursued 
and  recaptured  both  times.  By  attempting  to  escape  a  second  time, 
he  forfeited  his  life,  and  was  accordingly  bound  to  a  sapling  at  the 
head  of  a  ravine,  and  with  a  pile  of  wood  built  around  him  and 
fired,  he  was  burned  to  ashes.  All  the  white  captives  in  possession 
of  the  Indians  of  that  place — Robert  Campbell  being  one  of  them — 
were  obliged  to  witness  the  scene,  as  a  warning  against  attempts  to 
escape.  The  night  folloying  there  was  a  very  heavy  fall  of  rain, 
and  soon  afterwards  Campbell  visited  the  scene  of  the  burning  and 
found  the  ashes  and  remaining  brands,  and  everything  else  on  and 
about  the  spot,  completely  swept  away  by  the  land-flood. 

Where,  he  asked  himself,  are  the  particles  of  which  that  body  was 
composed  ?  Some  of  them  evaporated  and  diffused  through  the  air, 
others  mingled  with  ashes  and  various  forms  of  rubbish  and  swept 
into  the  stream  below ;  and  how  can  they  ever  be  collected  and  re- 
united so  as  to  form  a  living  body  ?  Such  were  his  silent  reflec- 
tions on  the  subject,  and  more  than  ever  was  his  unbelief  in  the  doc- 
trine of  the  resurrection  confirmed. 

After  his  return  to  Ligonier  Valley  he  occasionally  heard  sermons 
by  uneducated  preachers,  but  received  no  light  on  the  subject  of  his 
doubts.  Hearing  of  a  minister  who  was  to  preach  at  a  certain  place 
(I  think  it  was  Dr.  Power),  he  resolved  to  go  and  hear  him.  The 
doctrine  of  the  resurrection  was  not  the  leading  subject  of  the  ser- 
mon, but  was  a  branch  of  the  principal  subject,  and  was  briefly 
explained,  and  some  of  the  objections  to  it  answered.  The  minis- 
ter's last  answer  to  objectors  was  given  in  the  words  of  the  Saviour 
to  the  Sadducees :  "  Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  nor  the 
power  of  God."  At  this  point  of  his  narrative  Mr.  C.  raised  his 
hand,  and,  with  peculiar  emphasis,  said  :  "  That  word — '  the  power 
of  God ' — brought  a  flood  of  light  into  my  soul,  and  sent  all  my 
doubts  adrift,  and  the  devil  has  never  since  been  permitted  to 
trouble  me  on  that  subject." 

Adam  Torrance. 


APPENDIXES.  4»9 


APPENDIX  \)~<Seep.  60.) 


DR.  JENNINGS'  REMINISCENCES. 

Sharon,  Pa.,  January  8,  1876. 
Rev.  a.  Williams,  D.D.  : 

My  Dear  Brother  : — I  cheerfully  accept  your  invitation,  as 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  the  publication  of  the  histories  fur- 
nished at  the  Memorial  Convention,  to  add  something  that  might  be 
useful.  This  I  attempt,  believing  that  as  time  progresses  reminis- 
cences of  the  past  will  be  more  interesting  to  posterity. 

Having  resided  in  different  places,  within  the  bounds  of  the 
"  four  Synods,"  from  the  years  18 10  to  1830,  and  having  had  a  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  a  majority  of  the  ministers  and  with  many 
of  the  elders,  and  with  some  of  the  ecclesiastical  occurrences,  I  01/ght 
to  be  able  to  add  something  to  the  excellent  productions  of  my 
junior  brethren. 

THE   falling   work, 

so  denominated,  occurred  chiefly  between  the  years  1802  and  1807. 
Though  I  saw  but  few  cases,  I  observed  the  effects  of  it  on  many 
persons  afterwards.  The  "solemn  weight  of  eternal  things,"  which 
had  prostrated  the  body,  continued  to  impress  the  minds  of  its^sub- 
jects  more  than  is  usual  with  Christians.  The  results,  in  most 
cases,  were  salutary  and  permanent.  Private  duties  were  more 
generally  performed ;  attention  to  public  ordinances  was  punctual ; 
the  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated  with  much  solemnity  and  deep 
feeling.  The  communion  tables,  in  the  summer  season,  were  spread 
in  the  grove  near  the  church,  covered  with  white  linen.  The  com- 
municants passed  along  and  were  seated,  with  streaming  eyes,  sing- 
ing the  hymns,  " 'Twas  on  that  dark,  that  doleful  night,"  or, 
"  How  condescending  and  how  kind,"  or  other  affecting  verses. 
After  which,  impressive  words  and  prayer  were  uttered  by  ministers 
in  deep  sympathy  with  the  sufferings  of  the  Son  of  God.  Such 
occasions  were  attended  with  conviction  on  the  minds  of  the  uncon- 
verted, more  than  at  other  times.  Many  that  had  been  subjects  of 
the  bodily  exercise  remained  monuments  of  God's  grace.     I  often 


430  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL    CONVENTION. 

saw  a  man  serving  the  Lord's  table,  as  an  elder,  who  had  been  a 
physician,  and  so  hostile  to  the  work  of  God  that  he  was  reputed  to 
have  said  that  if  any  of  his  family  fell,  he  would  raise  them  with  a 
cowhide.  At  one  time,  talking  near  the  assembled  congregation, 
he  felt  a  sudden  impression  and  endeavored  to  flee,  but  fell  to  the 
ground  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  eventuated  in  a 
saving  change.  His  demeanor  in  after  life  was  in  conformity  to  his 
profession  and  office.  There  were  cases  of  prostration  of  body,  and 
wailing,  which  I  saw  and  heard,  where  there  was  no  visible  change 
in  the  life.  Such  helped  to  show  the  correctness  of  the  opinion  of 
President  Edwards,  as  given  by  him  in  his  work  on  ''  Revivals," 
that  being  overpowered  in  body  is  no  evidence,  separately  con- 
sidered, of  a  change  in  the  soul. 

CAUSES    OF    A    DECREASE    OF    SPIRITUALITY    AND    IN     THE    NUMBER 
OF   CONVERSIONS. 

First.  The  common  use  of  whiskey  probably  contributed  more  to 
this  decrease  than  any  other  single  cause.  There  is  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  its  use  was  not  so  general  previous  to  the  Insurrection  as 
it  was  subsequently ;  and  especially  it  was  not  so  much  in  use  during 
the  revival.  The  people  practiced  on  a  former  mistaken  notion  that 
spirituous  liquors  were  necessary  to  labor,  medicinal  to  those  in  a 
new  country,  and  their  use  a  mark  of  hospitality.  Being  under 
their  influence  was  not  always  looked  upon  as  disgraceful  and  dan- 
gerous. Hence,  many  of  the  sons  of  parents  who  had  been  eminent 
for  piety,  acquired  such  habits  of  intoxication  that  they  were  carried 
to  an  early  grave.  The  assembling  together  of  the  younger  persons 
on  holidays  at  shooting-  matches,  rafflings,  huskings,  the  harvest 
field,  log-rollings,  "raisings,"  and  the  various  frolics  connected 
with  the  preparation  of  flax  and  wool  for  garments,  were  thought  by 
many  good  people  to  make  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  necessary ;  and 
with  their  use  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  decreased  His  influence,  and 
conversions  were  not  so  numerous  as  in  former  years,  nor  the  piety 
of  the  Church  so  distinguished. 

The  Second  cause  that  diminished  the  good  results  of  the  great 
revival,  was  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  in  1812.  The  excitement 
of  separating  from  family  and  friends,  the  perils  of  going  to  fight 
the  Indians,  and  "  to  take  Canada,"  led  some  to  forget  the  God  of 
their  fathers,  and  others  to  indulge  more  freely  in  strong  drink,  in 


APPENDIXES.  431 

order  to  keep  up  their  spirits.  The  depressions  when  news  of  defeat 
would  arrive,  the  excitement  on  intelligence  of  victory,  with  the 
illumination  of  houses;  the  firing  of  cannon,  and  the  increase  of 
the  spirit  of  war,  were  all  unfriendly  to  the  spirit  of  religion.  That 
these  and  other  causes  decreased  the  spirituality  of  the  Church,  I 
learned  from  the  lips  of  the  former  pastor  of  my  childhood,  Rev. 
Thomas  Marquis,  about  the  year  1820. 

Thirdly.  Gradual  neglect  of  Prayer  another  cause.  The  last 
public  exhortation  which  Rev.  Elisha  McCurdy  made  was  in  the 
lecture  room  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Pittsburgh,  at  the 
meeting  of  our  Presbytery.  He  rose,  and  in  his  solemn,  measured 
way  said :  "  Brethren,  I  have  seen  great  changes  in  the  state  of  the 
church.  There  have  been  times  when  it  appeared  that  all  would 
come  to  desolation,  which  alarmed  true  Christians,  so  that  they  began 
to  call  upon  God,  and  soon  the  Spirit  began  to  move  upon  the  dry 
bones,  and  then  the  same  truths  that  had  been  heard  a  hundred 
times  without  effect  before,  would  melt  the  people  into  repentance, 
and  sinners  would  be  gathered  in."  His  oft  repeated  watchword 
was  then  given,  most  affectionately:  "Wake  up,  brethren,  wake 
up." 

NOTICES   OF   SOME   PROMINENT   ELDERS.* 

As  it  could  not  be  expected  that  the  Ecclesiastical  historians  of  the 
Memorial  Convention  should  give  notices  of  the  many  elders  of  early 
days  who  are  worthy  of  being  held  in  remembrance,  I  take  the  op- 
portunity to  give  a  short  notice  of  a  few  whose  example  should,  in 
some  particular,  be  imitated.  I  must  confine  myself  to  those  who 
officiated  previous  to  1830,  and  who  have  gone  to  their  rest. 

The  first  that  should  be  noticed  is  Ebenezer  Finley,  the  son  of 
Rev.  James  Finley,  who  crossed  the  mountains  with  his  father  in 
1772,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  is  described  in  "  Old  Red- 
stone," page  284,  as  having  had  "a  perilous  adventure  with  the  In- 
dians." It  is  as  an  elder  of  Dunlap's  Creek  Church,  in  Fayette 
county,  and  as  an  extraordinary  laborer  in  Sabbath-schools  and  in 
praying  societies,  that  he  should  be  remembered.  After  the  service 
was  over  at  the  church,  he  would  hasten  to  New  Salem,  five  miles 

*  Dr.  Jennings  was  appointed  some  years  ago,  by  the  Synod  of  Pitts- 
burgh, as  historian  of  the  eldership,  in  place  of  Rev.  Joseph  Smith,  D.D., 
deceased.  A.  W, 


432  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 

distant,  where  grog-shops,  horse-racing,  and  similar  conduct  pre- 
vailed, and  such  were  his  exhortations  and  influence  that,  under  God, 
these  evil  influences  ceased,  and  now  there  are  three  houses  of  wor- 
ship in  that  village. 

He  sometimes  experienced  a  wonderful  elevation  of  soul  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  which,  while  it  absorbed  him,  did  not  prevent  him 
from  being  "  dihgent  in  business."  It  is  recorded  by  the  late  pastor 
of  that  church,  Dr.  Samuel  Wilson,  and  the  same  has  been  told  me 
by  his  son  and  successor,  of  the  same  name,  that  upon  one  occa- 
sion, when  in  the  harvest  field  (whether  ' '  in  the  body  or  out  of  the 
body,"  he  could  scarcely  tell),  he  was  so  stimulated  by  divine  influ- 
ence that  he  reaped  vastly  more  than  was  usual  for  one  man.  He 
was  so  devoted  to  family  worship  that  the  evening  before  he  died  he 
wished  to  be  lifted  out  of  bed  to  engage  in  that  duty,  but  when  he 
could  not,  he  still  led  in  the  worship,  and  then  soon  slept  in  the  Lord. 

Michael  Finley,  brother  of  Ebenezer,  and  an  elder  of  Rehoboth 
Church,  Westmoreland  county,  was  also  an  ardent,  devoted  servant 
of  the  Lord.  Those  who  attended  the  religious  convention  at  Pitts- 
burgh, in  1842,  will  remember  the  deep  feeling  manifested  by  him 
at  that  time,  both  in  speech  and  in  prayer.  William  and  Joseph 
Finley  were  also  brothers  of  the  two  preceding,  and  elders  of  Reho- 
both Church.  They  were  the  sons  of  that  worthy  minister,  who 
crossed  the  mountains  in  1770  or  1 771. 

Hon.  Charles  Porter  should  be  mentioned  as  the  first  who  took 
a  decided  stand  to  resist  the  common  use  of  whiskey,  and  endured 
reproach  because  he  would  rather  pay  extra  wages  than  give  it  to  his 
harvest  men.  His  good  example  in  this  respect  was  soon  followed 
by  many  others.  He  was  a  long-headed  statesman,  and  a  judicious 
counselor  in  the  church. 

Robert  Baird,  an  elder  also  of  Dunlap's  Creek  Church,  loved  the 
Sacred  Scriptures,  and  committed  large  portions  of  them  to  memory. 
He  was  the  father  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Baird,  who  crossed  the 
ocean  numerous  times  to  promote  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  being 
diligent  in  business,  he  stood  "before  kings"  and  pled  the  cause 
of  temperance  and  religion. 

Dr.  Jacob  Jennings,  the  pastor  of  Dunlap's  Creek  Church,  was 
aided  by  other  useful  elders  during  this  period,  but  limited  space 
does  not  permit  further  notice. 


APPENDIXES.  433 


Benjamin  Williams,  an  elder  of  Mingo  Church,  and  long  one  of 
the  most  efficient  trustees  of  Jefferson  College,  and  a  director  of  the 
Western  Theological  Seminary,  was  eminent  for  gentlemanly  deport- 
ment, devoted  piety,  and  for  the  interest  he  took  in  the  cause  of 
temperance  and  the  affairs  of  the  church  generally.  He  was  peculiar 
in  this,  that  he  set  apart  a  fixed  portion  of  the  proceeds  of  his  mills 
for  benevolent  objects:  and  that  others  might  not  know  of  his  bounty, 
he  made  me  the  almoner  of  it. 

John  Hannen,  of  Allegheny  city,  was  an  intelligent  elder,  sym- 
pathetic in  his  spirit,  bland  in  his  manners,  and  yet  one  who  did  not 
decline  to  defend  the  oppressed,  and  to  oppose  the  sins  of  intempe- 
rance and  slavery,  when  to  do  so  was  not  popular. 

Francis  G.  Bailey,  of  Pittsburgh,  with  peculiar  suavity  and  zeal 
in  his  master's  service,  gave  much  of  his  time  to  the  visitation  of  the 
sick  and  the  poor,  and  the  families  of  the  Church  of  which  he  was 
an  overseer.  He  was  one  of  the  chief  helpers  of  his  pastor,  Rev. 
Francis  Herron,  D.D. 

William  Courtney,  of  Hiland  Church,  exercised  great  hospi- 
tality, judiciously  avoided  unnecessary  discipline  in  the  church,  and 
was  willing  often  to  cross  the  Ohio  river  by  night,  through  some 
dangers,  to  aid  in  the  religious  exercises  on  the  neighboring  island, 
where  God  was  pouring  out  his  Spirit  upon  the  people  there. 

Charles  Hawkins,  of  Washington,  was  gifted  in  social  and 
public  prayer,  both  as  to  the  matter  and  manner.  His  power  of 
peculiar  usefulness  in  that  way  was  probably  the  result  of  his  hu- 
mility and  his  habits  of  private  devotion.  With  no  more  than  an 
ordinary  education,  he  was  taught  by  "  the  Father  that  seeth  in 
secret,"  and  was  able  to  give  wise  counsel  to  those  inquiring  the 
way  of  salvation. 

John  Nesbit,  of  Bethany  Church,  Allegheny  county,  furnished  evi- 
dence that,  like  Enoch,  "he  walked  with  God."  He  had  a  peculiar 
unction  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  none  could  be  with  him  long  with- 
out being  greatly  profited  and  stirred  up  by  his  godly  conversation. 

Samuel  Riddle,  Sr.,  of  Montours  Church,  Allegheny  county, 
possessed  a  strong  and  discriminating  mind,  and  when  employed  in 
defending  the  truth  of  God  against  its  adversaries,  he  did  it  wisely 
and  ably.  As  a  counselor  in  matters  of  difficulty,  his  services 
were  very  valuable. 
2C 


434  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL   CONVENTION. 


Hugh  Lee,  of  Cross  Creek,  Washington  county,  was  eminently 
a  practical  man,  prepared  "  for  every  good  work."  He  had  seen 
the  work  of  God  in  the  great  revival  (as  had  nearly  all  the  elders  I 
have  mentioned),  and  he  kept  up  a  lively  state  of  piety  till  the  close 
of  life.  He  labored  under  impaired  sight  of  one  eye  for  many  years. 
He  is  the  father  of  the  elder  of  his  own  name,  and  was  the  father-in- 
law  of  the  late  excellent  George  Marshall,  D.D. 

John  Milligan,  of  Steubenville,  combined  more  of  all  the  ex- 
cellencies and  usefulness  of  an  elder  than  is  usually  found  in  one 
man.  His  former  pastor.  Dr.  O.  Jennings,  and  his  more  recent 
one,  Dr.  C.  C.  Beatty,  esteemed  him  as  one  of  the  best  of  men. 
He  was  blessed  with  a  pious  posterity. 

There  were  many  other  elders  not  officiating  so  near  the  begin- 
ning of  our  first  ecclesiastical  century,  who  may  be  enrolled  as  par- 
ticularly useful  and  worthy  by  some  future  historian. 

EARLY    MINISTERS    IN    OHIO, 

who  labored  within  the  territory  now  occupied  by  the  Synods  of 
Cleveland  and  Columbus. 

Having  been  led  to  dwell  and  travel  in  different  places  within 
these  Synods,  from  1819  to  1830,  I  have  had  opportunities  of  ex- 
tensive acquaintance  with  the  former  ministers.  None  are  now  left 
of  all  who  preached  in  that  half  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  in  1828,  but 
Rev.  Dr.  C.  C.  Beatty,  and  perhaps  one  more.  I  shall  write  only 
of  those  I  knew. 

I  was  present  at  the  formation  of  the  Presbytery  of  Steubenville, 
in  October,  181 9,  and  not  one  of  those  eight  ministers  now  survive. 
Rev.  Lyman  Potter,  the  eldest,  brought  "  forth  fruit  in  old  age." 
When  his  voice  and  strength  were  so  far  exhausted  that  he  could 
not  be  heard  in  a  church  of  ordinary  size,  he  filled  his  saddle-bags 
with  Bibles  and  the  few  tracts  that  could  be  obtained  in  those  days, 
and  went  back  into  the  State,  where  there  were  a  few  settlers  in 
different  places,  and  gathered  them  into  small  houses  and  preached. 
This  lovely  old  gentleman  won  many  by  his  kindness,  and  ever 
spake  as  a  dying  man  to  dying  men. 

Rev.  John  Wright  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  in 
1806,  pastor  of  the  Hock-hocking  and  Rush  Creek  Churches,  as  a 
licentiate.  He  itinerated  extensively  in  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina, and  in  the  destitute  settlements  of  Ohio,  and  perhaps  did  more 


APPENDIXES.  435 

than  any  other  one  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  organization  of 
churches  in  the  latter  State.  He  was  a  man  of  great  energy,  and 
when  on  a  visit  to  Liverpool,  England,  to  attend  to  the  business  of 
the  estate  of  a  deceased  brother,  the  inhabitants  of  that  city,  hear- 
ing that  a  preacher  had  come  from  the  wilds  of  America,  turned  out 
numerously  to  hear  one  whom  they  supposed  to  be  an  Indian.  His 
chief  place  of  labor  was  Lancaster,  Ohio,  where  he  gathered  a  large 
church,  and  was  much  beloved  by  the  people. 

The  Rev.  James  Culbertsox,  D.D.,  settled  in  Zanesville.  He 
was  a  preacher  with  an  unusually  deep-toned  and  solemn  voice,  and 
highly  respected  for  his  many  excellent  characteristics ;  but  he  was 
called  away  rather  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  great  usefulness. 

Rev.  James  Hoge,  D.D.,  was  tall,  with  dark  hair  and  eyes,  plain 
and  grave  as  a  man,  impressive  and  solemn  as  a  speaker,  and  was 
much  beloved  by  the  brethren  of  the  Synod  of  Ohio.  He  lived  to 
see  the  city  of  Columbus  and  his  church  attain  the  ability  to  enter- 
tain the  General  Assembly,  in  1862.  He  was  the  head  of  the  Pres- 
byterian family  in  that  part  of  Ohio,  and  greatly  honored  by  the 
whole  Church.  He  took  no  active  part  in  causing  the  division  of 
the  Church  in  1837.  He  was  long  an  efficient  trustee  of  the  Ohio 
University,  at  Athens.  His  life  and  writings  are  worthy  of  more 
permanent  record. 

I  knew  many  of  the  first  ministers  in  Ohio,  who  were  laborious, 
faithful  servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  who  have  entered  into  their 
rest,  though  they  were  about  a  generation  subsequent  to  those  who 
first  preached  in  Western  Pennsylvania.  Space  will  only  permit  me 
to  record  their  names,  as  worthy  to  be  remembered  by  posterity. 
Such  were  Rev.  Messrs.  James  Snodgrass,  of  Wayne  county ;  James 
Scott  and'James  Cunningham,  of  Knox  county;  Thomas  Barr,  of 
Euclid  and  Wooster;  John  Rhea,  D.D.,  of  Beach  Spring;  Joseph 
Treat,  of  Sharon ;  John  Seward  of  Aurora ;  William  Hanford,  of 
Hudson;  Caleb  Pitkin,  of  Charlestown;  Clement  Vallandigham, 
of  New  Lisbon ;  James  Rowland,  of  Mansfield ;  and  Stephen  I. 
Bradstreet,  of  Cleveland.  My  memory  fondly  lingers  upon  the 
names  of  these  departed  servants  of  God.  * '  The  righteous  shall 
be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance."  Ps.  cxii.  6. 
Very  truly  your  fellow-laborer  in  the  Lord, 

S.  C.  Jennings. 


436  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

P.S. — Before  closing  this  communication,  allow  me  to  mention 
a  little  more  fully  another  of  the  worthy  elders  of  the  early  days, 
whose  name  is  still  affectionately  cherished  by  the  few  surviving  old 
students  of  Jefferson  College.  It  was  Prof.  Samuel  Miller,  who 
long  held  the  Chair  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Sciences  in  that 
institution.  As  his  name  has  been  mentioned  in  Dr.  Brownson's 
Educational  History,*  the  only  aJJitioaai  notice  of  him  which  I 
shall  now  give,  is  in  reference  to  his  peculiar  religious  experience,  a 
subject  of  which  he  was  ordinarily  reticent ;  but  he  once  favored 
the  writer  with  an  account  of  something  like  a  vision  of  the  Saviour, 
which  he  seemed  to  himself  to  have  experienced  on  one  occasion  as 
he  was  walking  the  streets  of  Canonsburg  at  night,  under  deep 
anxiety  and  distress  of  mind.  Whether  it  was  a  vision  or  a  voice 
he  could  scarcely  say ;  but  it  was  such  an  impression  of  the  Saviour's 
presence  and  suitableness  to  his  necessities  as  led  him  at  once,  with 
joyful  confidence,  to  commit  his  soul's  everlasting  interests  into  his 
hands,  as  one  who  was  near  him  of  a  truth.  He  ever  afterwards, 
during  his  long  life,  remained  an  humble  and  faithful  disciple  of 
Him  who  had  thus  given  him  light  in  his  darkness.  This  experi- 
ence was  the  more  remarkable  from  the  fact  that  Prof.  Miller  was 
characteristically  a  matter-of-fact  man,  and  one  of  the  last  to  be 
subject  to  any  sort  of  hallucination. 

The  experience  of  Luther,  on  several  occasions,  was  of  a  some- 
what similar  sort ;  and  the  peculiar  influences  which  manifested 
themselves  in  the  bodily  exercises  of  the  early  part  of  this  century, 
render  such  experiences  as  that  of  "Master"  Miller  less  a  matter 
of  surprise  than  otherwise  they  might  have  been. 

S.  C.  J. 

*  See  p.  80. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  CONVENTION. 


The  Memorial  Convention  of  ministers  and  elders  from  the  four 
Synods  of  Pittsburgh,  Erie,  Cleveland,  and  Columbus,  called  for 
the  purpose  of  commemorating  the  planting  of  Presbyterianism  in 
Western  Pennsylvania  one  hundred  years  ago,  assembled  in  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  Pittsburgh,  on  Tuesday  evening,  Decem- 
ber 7,  1875. 

Rev.  David  McKinney,  D.D.,  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  opened 
the  Convention  with  prayer. 

The  following  nomination  of  permanent  officers  was  made  by 
the  chairman  of  the  committee  of  arrangements,  and  approved  by 
vote  of  the  Convention  : 

President. — Rev.  Charles  C.  Beatty,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Vice-Presidents Rev.  William  D.  Howard,  D.D.,  Rev.  George 

Hill,  D.D.,  Rev.  Alexander  Donaldson,  D.D.,  Rev.  Loyal  Young, 
D.'  D.,  and  Rev.  John  Robinson,  D.D. 

(The  two  latter  brethren  were  providentially  hindered  from  being 
present.) 

Secretaries. — Rev.  Robert  Carothers  and  Rev.  John  S.  MacCon- 
nell. 

REMARKS   OF   DR.    BEATTY. 

Dr.  Beatty,  on  taking  the  chair,  thanked  the  convention  for  their 
partiality,  and  stated  that  he  was  suffering  from  illness,  in  addition 
to  his  infirmity  of  sight,  and  was  not  able  to  preside.  He  took 
occasion  to  state  that  on  the  24th  of  November,  1758,  his  venerable 

437 


438  PRESBYTERIAN  CENTENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

grandfather,  Chas.  Beatty,  came  here  with  the  army  that  took  pos- 
session of  the  then  lately  evacuated  Fort  Duquesne,  and  the  next 
day,  or  very  soon  after,  preached  a  Thanksgiving  sermon,  in  the 
presence  of  the  whole  army.  This  was  the  first  Protestant  sermon 
preached  west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains.  He  returned  to  the 
east,  but  some  eight  years  later  was  sent  out  by  the  Synods  to  visit 
the  frontier  settlements  here,  and  some  Indian  settlements  west  of 
the  Ohio.  In  his  journal  for  the  month  of  September,  1766,  he 
records  having  preached  at  Fort  Pitt  to  a  small  congregation — the 
village  then  numbering  some  thirty  families.  In  company  with  Dr. 
Duffield,  he  went  to  points  in  Ohio,  where  he  preached  the  first 
sermon  delivered  on  the  soil  of  that  great  State.  This  was  previous 
to  the  coming  of  Dr.  McMillan,  and  thirty  years  prior  to  the  birth 
of  the  speaker,  who  now  (he  said)  stood  here  as  one  of  the  oldest 
ordained  ministers  in  the  denomination.  This  was  the  reason  why 
one  so  infirm  and  so  incapable  had  been  honored  with  the  chair- 
manship of  this  convention.  He  thanked  his  friends  for  the  honor 
they  had  shown  him,  and  tendered  them  his  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments. 

Dr.  Howard  then  consented  to  take  the  chair. 

On  motion  of  Dr.  Williams,  the  hours  of  meeting  were  fixed  as 
follows:  9  A.M.,  1:30  P.M.,  and  7:30  evening — the  first  half-hour 
of  each  session  to  be  spent  in  devotional  exercises. 

Dr.  Howard  then  introduced  Rev.  D.  X.  Junkin,  D.D.,  of  New 
Castle,  who  delivered  a  discourse  upon  "The  Life  and  Labors  of 
Rev.  John  McMillan :  the  Gospel  he  Preached,  and  its  Influence 
upon  the  Civilization  of  Western  Pennsylvania." 

The  Convention  then  adjourned  until  Wednesday  morning. 

The  sessions  of  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  besides  devotional 
exercises  and  Christian  conference,  were  occupied  in  hearing  the 
several  historical  discourses,  in  whole  or  in  part,  which  are  contained 
in  this  volume. 

The  meetings  were. well  attended,  notwithstanding  the  unfavor- 
able state  of  the  weather. 

On  Wednesday  evening,  the  large  assembly  which  was  present, 
after  listening  to  the  account  of  the  Lord's  wonderful  doings  in  the 
great  revivals  of  1802-3,  were  ready  to  welcome  the  proposal  of 
Dr.  Junkin,  that  every  one  should  spend  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  43^ 

retiring  this  evening,  in  special  prayer  for  the  blessing  of  God  on 
this  Convention,  and  the  Churches  it  represents. 

A  portion  of  Thursday  afternoon  was  spent  in  the  transaction  of 
business.  Arrangements  were  made  for  the  publication  of  the  dis- 
courses delivered  on  this  occasion,  and  a  large  number  of  pledges 
of  $\o  and  $5  each  were  received  towards  meeting  the  expenses  of 
publication.  It  was  also  agreed  that  any  profits  which  may  arise 
from  the  sale  of  the  volume  shall  accrue  to  the  "Elliott  Lecture- 
ship" in  the  Western  Theological  Seminary. 

The  authors  of  the  several  discourses  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  superintend  the  proposed  publication. 

The  closing  exercises  of  the  convention  were  held  on  Thursday 
evening.  The  house  was  thronged,  and  after  the  singing  of  an 
appropriate  anthem,  informal  addresses  were  delivered  by  the 
venerable  President,  Dr.  Beatty,  Prof.  Saml.  J.  Wilson,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  Rev.  George  W.  Chamberlain,  and  Rev.  Cyrus  Dickson,  D.D. 

Dr.  Beatty's  address  consisted  chiefly  in  renliniscences  of  Rev. 
Elisha  P.  Swift,  D.D.,  as  the  founder  of  the  Western  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society,  and  is  reproduced  in  substance  on  page  174  of  this 
volume. 

Dr.  Wilson's  stirring  and  seasonable  remarks  have  been  given  on 
page  411. 

Mr.  Chamberlain,  missionary  to  Brazil,  gave  a  most  interesting 
account  of  the  first  attempt  to  introduce  Protestantism  into  South 
America,  more  than  three  hundred  years  ago,  by  missionaries  from 
Geneva. 

The  closing  address  by  Dr.  Dickson  was  a  characteristically  elo- 
quent plea  for  a  more  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  work  of  evangeli- 
zation in  our  own  vast  country — a  work  to  be  carried  on  in  the 
spirit  of  those  pious  and  heroic  fathers  and  mothers  in  Israel  whose 
deeds  have  been  rehearsed  on  this  occasion. 

Hearty  votes  of  thanks  were  then  given  to  the  citizens  of  Pitts- 
burgh and  Allegheny  for  their  hospitalities ;  to  the  authorities  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  for  the  accommodations  afforded ;  to  the 
assembled  choirs  of  the  city  churches  for  their  excellent  music ;  and 
to  the  conductors  of  the  city  press  for  their  favorable  notices  of  the 
Convention — especially  to  the  Evening  Telegraph  for  its  full  reports 
of  the  several  discourses. 


440 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  CONVENTION. 


The  Convention  then  adjourned  sine  die.  It  was  a  season  long 
to  be  remembered. 

Note. — It  not  being  found  practicable  to  secure  a  complete  list  of  the 
members  of  the  Convention,  it  is  not  thought  best  to  give  only  a  partial 
one. 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Academies,         ....    100 

Addison,  Jud^e,         .        .    213,  372 

Alden,  Joseph,  ....      86 

"         Timotliy,         ...      95 

Allegheny  College,   .        .        .      95 

"  Presbytery,     .        .    238 

"  City  Presbytery,    .    248 

Alien,  Moses,      ....    216 

Alrich,  William  P.,  .        .        .      89 

Anderson,  John,        .        .       49,  216 

"  James,     .        .        .     106 

Armstrong,  John,      .        .       96,  328 

B. 

Back-bone-ism,  .        .        .    332 

Badger,  .Joseph,         .        .       45,  159 
Bailey,  Francis,  .        .        .    4.32 

Baird,  Robert,    .        .        .        .431 
Baptists  in  West  Penn 'a,  .    328 

Barr,  Joseph  W.,       .        .        .183 

«'      Samuel 233 

Beatty,  Charles,         .      200,  268,  321 

"        Charles  Clinton,  90,  136,  145 

"        Mrs.  Hetty  E.,      .     109,  130 

Bedford  County  tax  rolls,        .    404 

Bethel,  revival  at,      .        .        .44 

Biographies  of  Missionaries,    .    183 

"  of  Ministers,  .    203 

Black,  .Tames,     .        .        .       89,  112 

Blackford,  A.  L.,        .        .        .    422 

Binirsville  Seminary,        .        .     Ill 

Board  of  Trust,  .      '.        .        .156 

Bodily  Exercises,      .        .         46-56 

"  "  further  illus- 

.  trationsof,    ....    421 

Boundary  troubles,   .  305,  332-6 

Boyd,  .Tolin,  and  Abraham,     .    219 

Brackenridge,  II.  H.,        .        .    351 

"  H.  M.,  392,  397-9 

Braddock's  Road,       .        .        .    301 

Bradford,  David,        .        .        .390 

441 


PAGE 

Breckenridge,  Robert  J.,         .      85 

Brewer,  William  H., 

.      89 

"          Josiah, 

.     184 

Brown,  Matthew, 

.      84 

"        Alexander  B 

,        .         .       85 

"        Richard, 

.     106 

"        J.  Howard, 

.     106 

Brownson,  James  I., 

88,  91 

<(                <i 

his  Edu- 

cational  History, 

.      69 

Brugh,  William  I., 

.       89,  105 

Bushnell,  Wells, 

.     183 

c. 

Campbell,  Alan  D.,   .        .     133,  141 

"  Alexander,       .        .     329 

"  Richard,  and  R.  G.,      96 

"  Robert,     .        .       58, 425 

"  James  R.,         .         185-7 

Camp-meeting,  ....      49 

Canon,  John,      .        .        .     342,  351 

Canonsburg  Academj',     .  31,  44,  76 

Canonsburg  Academy,  recent 

history  of,     .        .        .        .     107 

Canonsburg,  two  citizens  of,  .    379 

Carnahan,  James,       .        .     378,  380 

Chartiei-s,  M'Millan's  arrival,        15 

"  communion  at,        .      29 

"  revivals  at,       .        .      44 

Clark,  Alexander  D.,        .        .96 

"        James,     ....      88 

"        John,        .        .        .     213,389 

Cloud,  John 187 

Clymer,  George,  .  .  .  372 
Coe,  Ebenezer,  ....  59 
Colleges — 
Allegheny,  .  .  .  .95 
Franklin,  .  .  .  .96 
Jeffers<jn,  ...  31,  77 
War  of,  .....  82 
Washington,  ....  78 
Western  Reserve,  .        .      97 


442 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Colonial  settlements,  .  288-292 
Colt,  Judah,  and  wife,  .  .  57 
Concei't  of  prayer,  ...  45 
Confederationli  Articles  of,  .  347 
Connoly,  John,  .  .  271,  313,  346 
"  "     and  Tories,       .    402 

Convention,  proceedings  of,  .  436 
Counties,  old,  of  W.  Virginia,  331 
Courtnev,  William,  .  .  .  432 
Craig,  Isaac,  .  .  .  353,  390 
Crawford,  William,  .        .    313 

Croghan,  George,       .        .     308,  846 
Cross  Creek  Academy,      .        .    102 
"  "       revivals,        .        43,  47 

Cross  Roads,  ....  46 
Culbertson,  James,  .  .  243,  434 
Cutler,  Carroll,  .        .        .97 

D. 


Darlington,    William  M.,  his 

History  of  Pittsburgh, 
Davis,  Julia  A., 
Denny,  William,  hisProclama 

tion, 

Diefendorf,  Sanders, 
Donaldson,  Alexander,    . 
Dodd,  Thaddeus,        .  41,  44,  75,  211 
Doddridge,  Joseph,  ,        .    328 

Dominion  of  Virginia, 
Duffleld  and  Beatty, 
Dunlap,  James, 
"         Joseph, 
Dun  more.  Earl  of,     . 

"  Fort  (Pittsburgh), 

Duquesne,  Fort, 


251 
188 

262 
106 
103 


.  317 
.  268 
80,  212 
.  32 
312,  316 
319 
261 


E. 

Eaton,  Johnston,  .  .  .  231 
Eaton,  S.  J.  M.,  his  Ecclesias- 
tical History,  .  .  .206 
Edgar,  James,  43,57,60,311,420 
Edgeworth  Seminary,  .  .  109 
Educational    History,   by  Dr. 

Brownson,    .        .        .        .      69 

Edwards,  Jonathan,  .        .      90 

Elders,  exami)les  of — 

Robert  Campbell,  .        .       58, 425 

Ebenezer  Coe,         ...      59 

.James  Edgar,  ...      57 

Philip  Jackson,       •        .        .57 

John  Lowrie,  ....      59 

James  Smiley,        .        .        .    221 

Others  in  Appendix  D.,         .    430 

Eldersridge  Academy,      .        .     103 

Elliott,  David,  .       87,  139,  145 

Erie  Triangle,     ....    339 

Ewing,  William,        .        .        .107 

"         John,    .        .  .     333,338 


PAGE 

Excise,  Robert  Burns  on,         .    357 
"        Washington's  views  on,  361 

"       laws  repealed,       .        .    392 


Faggs'  Manor,  Academy,         .      16 
"  "        revivals  at,       .      52 

Fairchild,  Ashbei  G.,        .        .     239 
Falling  Work.      (See   Bodily 

Exercises.) 
Female      Seminaries.        (See 

Seminaries.) 


Finley,  James,   . 

210, 

323 

354 

"        Ebenezer,      . 

. 

430 

"        Michael, 

431 

Forbes,  Cochran, 

. 

104 

"        General, 

262 

265 

Foreign  Missionary  Society, 

146 

165 

Foreign  Missionaries, 

178 

183-203 

Foster,  William, 

322 

Franklin  College, 

96 

Eraser,  John, 

, 

86 

French  Claims, 

256 

Future  in  Light  of  the  Past 

>    • 

413 

G. 

Gallatin,  Albert, 

397 

Gist,  Christopher, 

256 

Glade  Run  Acddemy, 

104 

Go  been,  George  W., 
Graham,  William,     . 

104 

408 

Green,  Lewis  W., 

141 

Greene  County,  Pa., 

327 

Greersbiirg  Academy, 

100 

H. 

Hallelujahs, 

, 

, 

248 

Halsey,  Luther, 

. 

. 

12S 

Hanna,  Archibald,    . 

, 

244 

Hannastown, 

306 

316 

Hannen,  John, 

. 

432 

Hamilton,  Alexander, 

368, 

372 

381 

"           John, 

388 

<' Hating  out," 

. 

331 

Huyden,  Daniel, 

243 

Hays,  George  P., 

220 

Hardships  endured. 

220 

Hawkins,  Charles,     . 

. 

432 

Henderson,  Matthew, 

19 

312 

♦'              Nancy,   . 

188 

Herron,  Francis, 

132, 

233, 

279 

Jlill,  George, 

214 

Hitchcock,  H.  L., 

, 

, 

97 

Hodge,  Archibald  Alexander, 

144 

Hoge,  James, 

99, 

242, 

434 

"       David,     . 

314 

INDEX. 


443 


PAGE 

Hoge,  Moses,      ....    4()8 

Hollidaysburg  Seminary,        .    Ill 

Horn  blower,  William  H.         .    145 

Hughes,  Thomas  Edgar,  44,  100,  217 

"         James,  .        .        .    213 

"         Joseph  Smith,    .        .    243 

"         John,    ....    380 

Hunt,  Thomas,  .        .        .      fiO 

Indians,        ...     254,  270,  272 

raids  by        .•     40,315,348 

"         treaty  with,  at  Ft.  Pitt,  303 

Insurrection.      (See  Whiskey 

Insurrection.) 
Insurrection,  course  of  minis- 
ters in, 394 

Irvine,  General,  .     340,  350,  380 

Irwin,  Samuel,  .        .        .    189 

"        Nathaniel,       ...    322 

J. 


Jackson,  Philip, 

57, 

232 

Jacobus,  Melancthon  W., 

142 

Janeway,  Jacob  J.,    . 

137 

"          Thomas  L.,        , 

138 

Jamieson,  Jesse  M., 

189 

"           Rebecca, 

190 

Jay's  Treaty, 

398 

Jefferson  College, 

31,  77 

Jennings,  Jacob, 

214, 

431 

"           Obadiah,  . 

235 

Jennings,  Samuel C,  hisRemi- 

nisceuces,     . 

428 

Johnston,  David, 

7G 

»          Robert,      . 

53 

231 

Jones,  John  M., 

. 

104 

»»        Samuel, 

86 

Junkip,  David  X.,  his  McMil- 

lan discoui'se. 

• 

9 

Lottery  for  1st  Church,  Pitts- 
burgh,    277 

Lower  Buttalo  revival,     .        .  46 

Lowrie,  John,    ....  59 

"         John  C,        .        .        .  193 

"         Louisa  A.,    .        .        .  194 

*'        Samuel  T.,           .        .  151 

"        Walter,         .        .        .176 

Lynn,  John,        ....  378 

Lyon,  George  A.,       .        .        .  248 


M. 


Macurdy,  Elisha, 
His  "  War  Sermon," 
Last  public  exhortation. 

Marquis,  Thomas, 

Marshall,  George, 

Martin,  Wm.  J., 


46,  158-161 
49 


K. 

Kennedy,  John  H., 
Kerr,  Joseph, 
King,  John, 

L. 

Laird,  Matthew, 
Lea,  Richard, 
Lee,  Hugh, 

"     Richaj-d  Henry, 

♦'     Robert, 
LeMoyne,  F.  W., 
Lester,  William  H., 
Lindley,  Demas, 

"  Fort, 

Linn,  Alonzo, 
Logan,  James, 
Lord,  Willis,      . 


86 
191 
321 


192 

133 

433 

89 

219 

91 

102 

42 

42 

86 

294 

99 


Mason  &  Dixon's  Line,  302,  307,  337 

McClure,  Daniel,       .        .        .    270 

McCluskey,  John,      .        .        .    102 

McConaughv,  David,        .         .      87 

McDonald,  William  K.,    .         .      89 

McDowell,  John,       .        .        .      15 

McEvven,  James,        .         .        .     195 

McFarlane,  James,    .        .        .    388 

McGill,  Alexander  T.,      .        .    141 

McGready,  James,     ...      46 

McGuffey,  William  H.,    .        .     101 

McKennan,  James  W.,     .        .      89 

McMillan,  John,         .        .  11-34 

His  use  of  manuscript,  .      38 

Educational  efforts,       .        .113 

Notice  of,         .        .        .        .210 

Degree  of  D.D.,      .        .        .    301 

His  commission,     ...        .    319 

i      As  a  politician,       .        .        .    305 

j     Cliaracter  and  influence,      .    401 

I  McMillan,  William,  .         84,  96 

!  McPherrin,  John,      .        .        .    158 

Mechlin,  George  W.,         .        .    10-4 

Meeting-houses,         .        .     205,  324 

Mesopotamian  region  of  West 

Pennsylvania,     .        .        .    326 
Miller,  Academj',       .        .        .106 
"        Samuel,          .        .        .     4;^ 
'«        William,        .        .        .     38<> 
Milligan,  John,           .        .        .    433 
"         Robert,       ...      89 
Mingo,  meeting  at,    .        .        .    392 
"        Creek  Association,      .    388 
Missionary  History,           .        .     155 
Missionaries,  biographies  of,  .     183 
"              first  sent  out,      .     178 
Mission  stations,    tirst   estab- 
lished,   ITS 

Mitchell,  John  A.,     .        .        .    195 
Moravians,  ....    2G9 

Mound  builders,        .        .       .    253 


430 
41,  215 
102 
89 


4U 


INDEX. 


Mt.  Moriah  Church, 
Muna}',  Nicholas, 
Music,  church,   . 

N. 


PAGE 

325,  4U3 
.  89 
.    224 


Neville,  John,     .        .     370,  378,  384 

"  Presley,     .        .     371,390 

Nevin,  Edwin,  ...      96 

"         John  W.,        .        .     138,  140 

"        Theodore  H.,         .        .    136 

Nesbit,  John,      ....     432 

New  Colony  schemes,       .        .     346 

New  Hagerstown  Academy,    .    106 

New  State  project,     .        .      344-355 

Newton,  John,     ....    195 

^'w7-se?'y  of  American  Presby- 

terianism,     ....    289 
Nursery,  the  new,     .        .        .    330 


o. 


Ohio  Company, 
Ornisby,  John,    . 
Orr,  Robert  W., 


.  299 
.  320 
80,  197 


Parkinson's  Ferry  meeting,  .  392 
"Parties,"   Pennsylvania  and 

Virginia,        ....    342 
Patterson,  Joseph,     .         40,  48,  313 
"  Kobert  (Rev.),         .    231 

"  Robert  (Prof.),         75,86 

Paxton,  William  M.,  .  .  144 
Paull,  James,  ....  372 
Pentecost,  Dorsey,  304,  313,  332,  351, 

356,  367. 
Pierce,  George  Edmund,  .      97 

Pigeon  Creek,  McMillan  at,  25,  329 
Pinnev,  John  B.,  .  .  .  198 
Pitt,  VVilliam,     ....    262 

"     P'ort, 26(5 

Pittsburgh — 

at  McMillan'sadvent,     .       .      24 

Mr.  Darlington's  History,     .    253 

First  Presbyterian  Church,       272 

Dr.  Shoepf's  account,    .        .    280 

as  cafMtal  of  New  Stale,      347,  355 

Porter,  Samuel,  214,  223,  394-6 

"        Charles,  .        .        .431 

"        Joseph,  .        .        .19$) 

"        Harriet  J.,      .         .        .    200 

Potter,  Lyman,  .        .        .    433 

Power,  .James,  .        .       72,  210 

"  Prayer  Tests,"  .        .        .61 

Praying  societies,       ...      44 

Priority  of  schools  discussed,  .      72 

Psalmody,    ....  222 


Presbyteries — 

Allegheny, 

Allegheny  City, 

Beaver,     . 

Blairsville, 

Erie, 

Grand  River,  . 

Hartford, 

Lancaster, 

Ohio, 

Pittsburgh, 

Redstone, 

Steubenville, 

Washington,    . 
Presbyterian  Church, 
planting, 

R. 


PAGE 

.  238 
.  248 
.  240 
.     240 

217,  229 
.     234 

230,  240 
.     232 

215,  229 
.     232 

212,  228 
.     234 
.     236 
its  first 

.    207 


Ralston,  Samuel, 
Reed,  William, 
Reid,  A.  M., 
Redstone,  old  Presbytery 

first  meeting, 
Religious  History, 
Revivals,  early, 
Rhea,  John, 
Riddle,  David  H.,      . 
"         Samuel,  Sr., 
Ritchie,  Craig,    . 
Rodgers,  William  S., 
Ross,  James, 

"     A.  F.,  .        . 

"     Thomas,     . 


33,  55,  215 
.  200 
.     110 

,  its 

.  341 
.  37 
38-49 
.  235 
.  87 
.  432 
392,  399 
.  201 
.  73 
96,  106 
.  320 


Sabbaths  of  our  fathers,  .  ■.  63 
Sacraments  of  our  fathers,  .  227 
Satterfield,  James,  .  .  .  219 
Scarcitv  of  monev,  .  .  221,  363 
Scotch-Irish,  ."  .  289-296,  310 
Scott,  John  W.,  ...      88 

"      George  M.,        .        .       53,216 
"      Thomas,  .       314,  337,  341,  349 
Seminaries,  I^'emale — 

Blairsville HI 

Edge  worth,  ....  109 
Hollidaysburg,  .  .  .111 
Pennsylvania  College,  .  .  112 
Steubenville,  .        .        .    HI 

Washington,    .        .        •.         .110 
Semple,  Samuel,        .        .     313, 320 
I  Settlers,  origin  of,      .        .     330,  405 
Siiannopin's  Town,    .        .        .    255 
j  Slavery,  abolition  of,  in  Penn- 
sylvania,      ....    340 
I  Smiley,  William,       .        .        .    221 
Smith,  David,     ....    214 
i     «♦        Joseph,    .        ■        60, 72, 211 


INDEX. 


445 


PAGE 

Smith,  Joseph,  (President),     .      96 
"  «*         (Elder),     .        .     282 

«'        William,  .        .        .86 

SmoUet's  History,  .  .  .  303 
Snodgrass,  James,  .  .  .  235 
Snyder,  Ileiirv,  ...      86 

Speer,  Williaiii,  ,        .        -237 

Southwestern  Penn'a,  299,  305,  326 
St.  Clair,  Arthur,  .  .  .  314 
Steele,  John,  .  .  .  .302 
Steubenville  Seminary,  .  .  109 
Stevenson,  .Joseph,  .  .  41,  236 
Stinson,  "Father,"  his  story,  54 
Stockton,  John,  .        41,' 102,  114 

"        his   account    of    the 

Vance's  Fort  revival,  418 
"        Joseph,        .         .        .218 
"Storm,"  the  (or  disruption),    245 
Storrs,  Charles  B.,     .        .        .97 
Swanev,  Alexander,  .         .     106 

Swift,  Elisha  P.,    137,  143,  171-6,  239 
"      Elliot  E.,  his  missionary 

history,    ...        .    154 
Synods — 
Allegheny,       .        .        .        .248 

Ohio 241 

Pittsburgh,  ....  228 
Western  Reserve,  .  .  240,  245 
Wheeling,  ....  246 
West  Pennsylvania.  .  .  247 
New, 249 


Tait,  Samuel,  .  .  .  157,  218 
Tanner,  Philip,  .        .        .311 

Taylor,  A.  A.  E.,  .  .  .  99 
Temperance,  ....  237 
Ten-Mile    Neighborhood    and 

Church,  .  .  .  41-44 
Tlieological  Education,  .  .  112 
"Tom  the  Tinker,"  .  .  377,386 
Torrance,  Adam,  his  letter,  .  425 
Toryism  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania,     340 

Trent,  William,  .        .         257-9 

U. 

Union  of  Colleges,     ...  89 

University,  Western,        .        .  94 

"  ofWooster,    .        .  98 

Upper  Buffalo  revival,     .      .  .  43 

V. 

Vallandingham,  Clement,  .  231 
Vance's  Fort  revival,  .  40,418 
Vandal  ia 347,  352 


PAGE 

Veech,  .fames,  his  Secular  His- 
tory,        285 

Vermilion  Institute,  .        .     105 

Virginia,  her  hrst  Constitution,    318 

Virginia,  W.,  its  settlement,  318,  331 

"  "    its  old  counties,      332 


v/. 


75 


of, 


374 
234 
110 
258,  270 


382 
79 
112 
247 
102 


Washington,  Academy, 
"  College, 

"  county  of, 

"  First  Church 

"  Seminary, 

AVasliington,  George, 
His  course  towards  the  In- 
surrection,   .... 
Watson,  .John,    .... 
Waugh,  Joseph, 
Weed,  Henry  R., 
West  Alexander  Academy, 
Western  Penns3'lvania— 
Its  first  settlement,        .       22,  298 
Insurrection.   (See  Whiskey 
Insurrection.) 
Western  Missionary  Magazine,    162 
Western    Foreign   Missionary 

Society,  .  146,  165-171, 177 
Western  Reserve  College,  .  97 
Western  Theo.  Seminary,  114,  119 
Whiskey  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, ....  3(>4,  429 
Whiskey  Insurrection,  366,  393,  408 
Wick,  William,  .        .        .218 

Wilkins,  John,  .        .        .        .276 
Williams,  Aaron,       .        .       86,  1U9 
"        his  Religious  History,      35 
Williams,  Benjamin,        .         .    432 
"  Samuel  R.,       .        .      86 

Wilson,  George,  .      314,  316,  404 

"         Joshua  L.,    .        .        .     243 
I        "         Robert  G.,    .         .        .244 
j  Wilson,  Samuel  J.,   .        .       91,  144 
his  Closing  Address,    413 


Witherspoon  Academ}^, 
Women — 

pious  and  patriotic, 

two  praying,   . 

wife  of  .Joseph  Smith,   . 

wife  of  .Joseph  Patterson 

wife  of  Judge  M'Dowell, 
Woods,  George, 
Wright,  John,    . 
Wylie,  Andrew, 

"  William, 

Y. 

Yohogania  County, 
Young,  Loyal,    . 


105 

25,  26 

60 

61 

61 

62 

94 

158,  242,  433 

81,  83 

.  219 


S32,  406 
.  105 


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1  , 

I  ! 

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